Campus Diaries The Magazine | August by Campus Diaries

CAMPUS DIARIES THE MAGAZINE | ISSUE 5 | August 2013 | Web Edition

NT E M I R E! E P X E PLOR EX RIENCE EXPE

INSIDE

In Focus: INK Live ‘13 Internships of the Month DU CutOff

CURATOR’S NOTE

cup of garam chai in hand (it only seemed fair), I scanned through the pages of this issue before it went into printing. Every story seemed to be having little conversations with me. They searched me through peepholes and invited me in for another cup of chai, telling me their secrets and asking for my opinion. A couple of hours later, the thoughts still lingering in my head and the many voices of the ‘young and the restless’ echoing in the background, I felt a sense of pride. These stories tell me that there’s more to the youth than the popular TV soap opera title. We struggle to do something new, something other than the ordinary, awakening the Luke Skywalker within us from time to time; pushing our limits to save our Gotham City. And we do all of this rather handsomely. Not because we’re reckless but because we aren’t afraid to take that next step, to experiment endlessly and to welcome that new beginning! When I first joined Campus Diaries, I didn’t know I was going to be a part of one of the best things that has ever happened to me. All I knew was I was diving into something new, without a destination mapped — just a mere beginning. Nothing else mattered, except for giving it my best shot. And just like me, the contributors of this issue have also shared with us the stories of their beginnings, its triumphs and failures. Trisha tells us the story of her first day at a boarding school she chose to go voluntarily in The Stuff that Stays, Hiral urges us to explore the School for Democracy and give good governance a chance in Loktantra ki aur ek safar, Steevez takes us through a journey of a patient’s new life through his photos in Road to Recovery and Dilpreet asks us to take a stand against child labour in Hey Kid… While Asmita pens down her ‘first’ experiences in the college of her choice, Xulfi and Hardik ask us to start looking at education in our country in a new light altogether, raising some very fair and interesting solutions for the system. A few students of St. Xavier’s College give us new hope telling us about an extremely innovative and brilliant project called Jal Jyoti, where they’re striving hard to provide a carbon-free alternative to traditional lighting in urban slum areas of Mumbai, using nothing but a bottle of water and sunlight. Another hard-hitting story in the It Happened to me section, which was both brave and difficult to write, is by Deeksha, who reveals her ugliest memories of child sexual abuse and asks us to fight for victims like her. I refill my cup and look at this issue with awe, because these are the stories that make me want to, in all fairness, stay a little restless and be very young. What about you? Samata Joshi Curator-in-chief Write to me at samata@campusdiaries.com with your valuable feedback, suggestions, letters or maybe just to say Hello! Corrigendum: We regret a mistake in the previous, July, issue of the magazine. Pranav Sukhija, from Teach For India, belongs to the Bangalore campus of NMIMS and not Mumbai.

PEOPLE

SAAH

PEOPLE OF

S H I L LO N G

B H A IY YA , EK CIGARET TE

DENA? 47

T H E MA N

W HO SELLS BRAS

EXPERIENCES T H E PA R A D OX OF LIVING AN I N T E R N AT I O N A L

LIFE

R OA D TO

R E CO V E RY

M Y G R A N D MA’S

WAR

STORY 84

K I AU R E K S A FA R

P O E T RY

CAMPUS WA R S O N POSTERS

LO K TA N T R A

THE

A WISH

S TAYS 27

TRUE

S T U F F T H AT

CO M E 44

NOOSE

OPINION

CLASS

S YS T E M

HEY KID!

CLEAN MY SHITHOLE

M U S I C, A R T & T H E AT R E SKULLTASTIC 58

TN UH E KKAD EFFECT

E D U C AT I O N :

THE ELEPHANT

AN INSIGHT

I N D I A’S

IN A

WAY F O R WA R D

LOOPHOLE

PROJECT

IN FOCUS

JAL

INK

J YOT I

LIVE 2013

IT HAPPENED TO ME MY UGLIEST

MEMORIES

Deeksha Rawat YMCA New Delhi

Although an electronics engineer, Deeksha also nurtures her love for writing, painting and social work. Curious about everything, she works with an NGO and sees her future in civil services. Danish Anjum Shaikh Dr. D. Y. Patil College Of Applied Arts And Crafts Pune

Danish is a First Year Graphic Design student at Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Applied Arts and Crafts in Pune. He loves to read, loves heavymetal music and prefers Led Zeppelin over the other bands. He is passionate and shamelessly creative.

hardik VAIDYA Teach for India Mumbai

Currently a second year Teach For India Fellow, Hardik teaching in an under resourced government school in Mumbai. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and the field of technology and innovation.

Sakshi Bhalla Daulat Ram College New Delhi

When she is not busy observing people and their behaviour, Sakshi likes to write, act and daydream. She hates monotony and constantly hunts for new ways to do things. Also, she loves history, chocolate, pandas and anything that makes her head spin.

Jennifer Sharmila Loyola College Chennai

She is a blogger, compulsive writer and a theatre enthusiast. Jennifer is also a deceptively sweet introvert and an incessant dreamer. She writes a lot of random mindless chatter which includes crude poems and heart breaking stories as well as worldly pretentious opinions on silly issues.

hiral Sarvaiya

Tata Institute of Social Sciences Mumbai

A total tea addict and a chatterbox who spend hours describing the context rather than the actual text, Hiral loves books and enjoys reading in the faint light in the corner of a room, with the sound of rain outside. She forms an instant rapport with new people, irrespective of their background or region. sanjana Malpani St Xavier’s College Mumbai

Sanjna is currently studying in the department of Life Science and Biochemistry at St. Xavier’s. She was in charge of co-coordinating the administration department for Malhar, one of India’s largest inter-collegiate festivals. She has additionally also volunteered with organisations such as Down to Earth and the Spastic Society. Sanjna is off to Madrid this year, as she as won a fully funded scholarship at the prestigious Comillas Business School in Spain.

Gauri Saxena

Lady Sri Ram College New Delhi

Gauri, can be described as a big lorry — of questions and thoughts, of opinions that have many ifs and oughts. She claims to have travelled the whole world through her mind. Armed with a pen and a belief in mankind, she sets out in the search for some answers she wants to find. Perhaps a delicious slice of life too while she’s in the grind. tanya Kotnala NIFT Shillong

Tanya is a fashion design student but her happiness sets out afar just garments. Her foremost devotion remains for her illustrations and artwork. She finds it amazing when usual things combine to become something unusual.

Sanika Dhakephalkar Fergusson College Pune

Sanika loves dogs, rains and most of all, oversized sweaters. When she isn’t writing or singing loudly (and out of tune), she’s usually found roaming around town in search of good but cheap food. In an oversized sweater, of course. P.S. Veg biryani isn’t really biryani, it’s just rice.

Tudor Etchells IE University Spain

A Welsh born student, now studying law in Spain, Tudor has done his fair share of global living and uses his photography and poetry to express the same.

Nandini VArma ILS Law College Pune

sreepriya Menon Lady Shri Ram College New Delhi

A student of psychology and clueless of her destination, writing is taking on new meaning with experiments in poetry and theater for Sreepirya. She likes watching how writing changes the world around and within us. Trisha Iyengar

The Mahindra United World College of India Pune

You may not be able to spot her in a crowd, but you will definitely be able to hear her. Aside from laughing and talking (a lot and loudly), Trisha enjoys hot chocolate, reading, little sisters, fluffy little dogs, and hugs. Manish Sharma DU South Campus New Delhi

An ardent writer, poet and a photographer who loves to capture nature and things with realistic beauty, Manish is but a ‘psychotic philosopher’ eventually (which he himself feels is mad at times). Cooking is his hobby and he loves to travel and travel more. Oh yes! He is a gadget freak too. Xulfi Raza

Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi

Philosophy, literature and religion intrigue Raza Mehdi, better known by his pen name Xulfi Raza, most. An enduring practitioner of the sin of Sloth and a lover of classical rock music, Xulfi considers Dostoyevsky and Iqbal to be his favorite writers; believes he is in the midst of identities to find his own (if at all it exists).

A student of law, Nandini loves spending her time reading Absurdist Literature and draws inspiration from works that defy conventions.

Dilpreet Taggar Daulat Ram College New Delhi

Crazy Punjabi. Perpetually high on books, coffee and theatre. A day dreamer — taking life one moment at a time.

Shraddha Verma Hindu College New Delhi

She is a literature student who has proclaimed herself as a Grammar Nazi. She loves travelling and eating. Also, she thinks that everything in the world, including history, is a gossip. Steevez Rodriguez

Loyola College Chennai

Steevez is a passionate photographer. While he isn’t carrying his heavy camera bag around, he likes to play pranks and is a naughty kid. He is completely mad and silly with new things to give to the world each day. Asmita Sarkar Delhi University New Delhi

She is currently pursuing her Masters in English and working with a lifestyle magazine, Platform. A travel enthusiast who wants to see and document the world.

PEOPLE

SAAH

The making of the world famous Assam tea

manish sharma d.u. south campus new delhi #comfort

Road to Teok Tea Estate, Jorhat, Assam. The tea gardens of Assam have a unique ambience, and a cultural entity that makes them stand apart

Tea Saplings. These saplings are sold or used as colon. Every leaf is a potential tree. One leaf is worth Rs. 10 in the market

In 18 months, the trees mature and are ready to be plucked

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These are the coloned trees. Perfect for green tea. Commonly known as the Chinese hybrid. Leaves are light coloured

Grown from seeds, the leaves are bigger and darker. Quality black tea! These are much older

The gardens are filled with various other trees. These neem trees act as natural pesticide and organic manure

She is happy that I clicked! Plucking is an art and not any random personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job

Known as Baganias. They are expert in plucking tea leaves. Plucking season is from March to November. 24kgs of leaf/day CampusDiaries AUGUST

Time for some rest. The bamboo hat prevents excess sunlight and rain. The income of the pluckers is minimum

Popularly known as shade trees, they protect the tea leaves from sunburn by preventing excess sunlight to pass through

Its because of these trees that upper Assam attracts rain. 10001250 mm of rain is adequate

These are indigenous breed (Age : 45-55 years). Life span of trees could go to as long as 100 years

Even the fencing is done with trees. People have opted for a careful mixture of natural and artificial methods

The gardens provide a great scenic beauty. Lush greenery , clear bright sky- a stop for any nature lover.

Jironi ghor (rest house). The plucked leaves are kept here and the raw tea leaves for Rs 25/kg. These are transported via tractors

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The tea is dried, ground and then burnt in a furnace

From saplings to a cup of a home made tea, this is the story of the world famous â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;saahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

TUDOR ETCHELLS IE University | Spain #relationships

EXPERIENCES

It is now the ‘done-thing’ to be an international student, to have friends all over the world that expand your opinions — to be globally connected. And it’s all well and good, except that you are always alone

t occurred to me the other day, that wherever I live, I Secondly, that friendship with the other international will never be able to have a normal relationship with friend of yours, that works so well due to the same wavesomeone. It will either be long distance, or it inevitably length that both of you work upon. You instantly relate to will be — temporary and isolate on a number of levels. the trials and tribulations of a cross continental living. It As an international student, studying at an inter- works, but you pass in and out of each other lives, like the national university, I should live up to the stereotype of seasons on a year. Consistent and marked. Although you being connected — having friends in most countries that grasp the moments with each other, you aspire to grasp them until kingdom come. I visit in — and I do. Yet, in The final friendship that spite of this, I scarcely meet embodies this loneliness them, hence, I will always that follows you round on remain lonely. I will never It is now the done thing to be an the endless flights, the myshave a ‘permanent’ friendtic public transport system ship, either because of our international student, to have of a new city, the highways international tendency (that friends all over the world that of new continents all under most probably brought us the same glaring daylight, is together) we will move apart expand your opinions — to be that of the childhood friend from each other, or because globally connected. And it’s all well at home that can only take they do indeed live away a glimpse at the adventures from me. and good, except, you are always in your life. This friendship Many of my best realone needs the least maintenance lationships have been charand often avoids any contact acterised by this. My long over the internet as everyone distance relationship with is completely enveloped in my girlfriend, my best friend their own new life. And this friendship can easily turn sour of two years that now lives back in the US, or my childhood when the friend at home starts to become envious the ‘infriend at home in Cardiff. ternational’ one of the pair. The first of which is one that a few can relate to. It is proAt the end of all of this, I sit by myself, in my home found to be in a relationship that totally transcends dis- city, where I have lost contact with most of my old friends tance, more so if it is a long term relationship. But, simultafrom three years ago. When I head back to India in three neously one longs just to cuddle with the other after a long weeks, I’ll have friends there, and a friend will greet me day and a 13-inch of LCD Skype simply doesn’t facilitate upon my arrival in Thailand, and the same would happen that. The memories that remain to live on in either mind in a handful of other countries, yet all the time I feel alone. are beautiful, but you only recall those memories when If you are on the move, then so will be your friendships. you’re alone. This reoccurs, over and over and over, until The friendships will always be there, and so will the fog of doubt drifts in. you — occasionally colliding into eruption, often stranded.

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PEOPLE

Tanya Kotnala NIFT Shillong #caricatures

s are pretty chatty

Taxis (Maruti 800) are the most convenient mode of transport here. Driver too (while you pray that the taxi rolls safely on the hill)

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/ bad mama N U / CHELSEA or just â&#x20AC;&#x201D; mamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boy

, MA Happy valley buses with flags of US/UK

Sundays (Church days) are usually more like fashion shows. Shillong, the fashion capital of North East

Khasi women carr y their babies (tied at the back), Kong (elder sister)

top

That’s how a Kong says, “Ek thu rupiya!” while chewing coy — a traditional paan like something

left

The government needs to be strict on this! You can see people spitting coy (which they are always chewing) everywhere in Shillong :/

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rt-1-shillong

stories/people-pa pusdiaries.com/picture-

cam

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Words remain words

Uneducated teaching the lesson

WARs on Shraddha Verma Hindu College New Delhi

Earning empire to remove terrorism

“I know how freedom looks. This is not how freedom looks.”

#politico

“We cannot choose freedom established on a hierarchy of degrees of freedom, on a caste system of equality like military rank.”

Power

Students’ Federation of India

Posters made by the politically active youth. Stuck forever on Jawaharlal Nehru University’s walls

posters Varun in Jail

All India Students’ Association’s hand made poster on a wall

Clockwise from Bottom Right: - the issue is socialism versus Capitalism. Humanism - a poster declaring strike! - want on killing of innocent civilians in terrorism, not a war against terrorism - torn poster stuck again - ABVPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poster dominated by NSUI. War on walls

CAMPUS

Clockwise from Bottom Right: - You’ll get your rights only if you fight for them - Democratic Students Union - There isn nothing revolutionary whatsoever about the control of women’s bodies by men - Right to write. Not to publish!

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Clockwise from Bottom Left: - Supported by Congress - A poster by NSUI - Elite patriachal - War on walls by different groups

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My memories of the first few days at boarding school

Trisha Iyengar The Mahindra United World College of India Pune #beginnings

CAMPUS

t’s been a year now. Diplomas have been awarded, flights have been boarded, friends have been separated. School’s out. And I want nothing more but to go back and re-do that first year; relive that first day.

along with seven other girls, was to live in. But, in all honesty, that’s not the stuff that stood out for me. There were a lot of firsts that I was faced with on those first few days. Saying goodbye to my family. Watching my mom hold back tears, making fun of her with my dad, and then getting emotional myself. Hugging my little *** sister and teasing my dad about having to keep the boys 25 August, 2012 away with a cricket bat. Being engulfed in one last family “FINALLY!” I exulted, closing my suitcase and leaping over group hug. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to do any of this for the huge piles of clothes, knick-knacks, and everything another four months at least. I had flown the nest. else I’d hoarded for the past 16 years and thought might be Another first was a consequence of running into a worth packing. familiar face, a senior I’d met at my interview, on the way to My destination? the top of the hill. Of laugh In two short hours, ing when we both recognised I’d be going to the Mahindra each other; introducing her United World College of Into my parents; not knowing dia. A.K.A, boarding school. It was I, who had found out about that, in time, she would beBut for now, getting to the come like an older sister to the school, I, who had asked my one tiny space of the floor me. I’d never had one before, that, was still visible was my parents if I could apply, and now I, nor had I wanted one. But priority. made me realise that I who was going. My final goodbyes school So, this was it. Towas part of an extended famday was the day, and I was said, I kissed my dog one last time ily now. I had said goodbye to more than ready. A lot of and just as quickly, was and stepped into the car and out of mine, people tend to equate the being engulfed in and formterm ‘boarding school’ with ing a second one. This one my old world being sent away. I’m not would perhaps not be there sure why — maybe it’s all for me as unconditionally, those Enid Blyton books — nor would it nag and lecture but in my case, it was enme as much, but in time it tirely my initiative. It was I, became family, nonetheless. who had found out about the school, I, who had asked my And the building of my new family came with the building parents if I could apply, and now I, who was going. My final of new memories. goodbyes said, I kissed my dog one last time and stepped Of these, what I remember is standing cluelessly into the car and out of my old world. in front of the Common Room and, without any warning, During the four-hour drive from Mumbai to Pune, being attacked by a huge smile, a bear hug and a death grip, I was much too alert and full of energy to fall asleep the all belonging to a petite Indian girl with long wavy hair. second my head hit the seat, the way I usually do on road- My to-be roommate, who vanished just as fast as she had trips. But, this one was different, and excruciatingly long. I come. Unsettled but smiling and eager to find out who my had been mentally prepared for weeks now, and as my dad other two roomies were, I made my way into my room, rounded the entrance of the hill that I would call my home only to find it disappointingly empty. I took the only free for the next two years, it hit me. I was here. corner, the first one on the left. Then, my suitcases shoved far enough under the bed, I took to exploring. The room *** was divided into four corners, one for each of us, with cupIt sounds cliché to say so, but from that moment onwards, boards, shelves and desks and colourful curtains marking everything was a blur. I vaguely remember marvelling at the boundaries. And I was free to do with mine what I the lush greenery that spanned the surrounding areas; re- wanted. call how heavy my suitcases were; can reminisce about the I will never forget that explosive wall of neon first time I saw the grey-walled house numbered ‘7’ that I, green, bang smack in the middle of two others painted pur

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-ple. There was definitely a reason people called our room many social skills been required of me. My days of scratcha ‘cross between Nyan Cat and Disneyland,’ especially later ing my pits and devouring bananas in trees were behind when my first-year roommate and I added walls of hot pink, me. It was time to go out and meet some real human belight blue and grey on our side. I had just ventured to the ings. other end of the room and was in the middle of apprecia- And what a ride it was. Orientation Week was a tingthe Jersey Shore picture stuck to one wall (yes, I find week of surprises. Of late nights past curfew in other dorms, the show entertaining, sue me) when a roomie made an ap- playing juvenile games of Truth and Dare. Of falling asleep pearance. It was the Ameron the lap of a stranger who ican first year this time. We would turn out to be my best went through the obligatory friend. Of being awoken at Never before had I been in such a small talk and introductions, 6 AM by my seniors, groggy but only really bonded when completely new environment. Never from lack of sleep, and then my Gujju food made an appromptly being dragged before had so many social skills pearance and meals became outside for a mud fight. Of the topic of conversation. hikes up mountains which been required of me. My days of As usual, good food makes I somehow mustered the scratching my pits and devouring for good friends. My Turkstamina for. Of camping on ish roommate, on the other bananas in trees were behind me. It top of said mountain with 30 hand, didn’t make an apother strangers, slicing vegewas time to go out and meet some tables for dinner and playing pearance until the next day, so my first glimpse was only icebreaker games and sitting real human beings a bleary one in the morning, under the stars and singing just out of sleeping beauty my heart out. Of losing my mode. voice and catching the flu I didn’t realise just how important these three the next day. Of sitting, alone and depressed, in the Med would become to me. Over soft music, peach tea, Oreos Centre, and almost dying of excitement when I saw I had and peanut butter, they came to be my nuclear family in visitors. Of talking to a different set of people, and hearthe midst of that large extended one — my confidantes, my ing their perspectives, every day. Of sipping hot chocolate ‘moms’ and my home away from home. And naturally, after at check-in every night with students and teachers alike, the foundations of home were laid, friends came visiting. and of marveling at the close, tight-knit relationships most I was in the same boat as 120 disoriented other first of them had built with each other. Of feeling the littlest years. Moreover, these were 120 strangers from all around bit homesick, but being too wonderstruck to admit it. Of the world. And while it was amazing, what I will remember initially getting annoyed by how claustrophobic it felt, but from those first few hours was that I was constantly being then slowly finding my niche and my friends. Of endless assaulted by new faces and names; that I grew tired of say- snacking, and cluttered cafeteria meals. Of realising that ing the sentence, “Hi, I’m Trisha and I’m from India” after school — actual education — was going to begin soon, the first 200 times, that I eventually resorted to identifying curse the Lord, but later seeing that this experience was an people by the things that were written on their t-shirts the education in itself. previous day. These are the things I will write about; the things I I grew to love them all, eventually. Just as soon as am writing about. These are the people who shaped my life I learned to understand all the different accents. Living — at school, who made it what it was, who entered my world, and laughing — with people will do that to you. But getting and who I hope will never leave it. to know them was the real first. Never before had I been in That was the week I began to fall in love with The Hill. such a completely new environment. Never before had so MUWCI. Home.

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uring the summer internship I took up this year with MKSS, I got an opportunity to visit and work with ‘School for Democracy’, the brainchild of Aruna Roy, one of the people responsible for the enactment of the Right to Information Act in 2005. Located a few kilometres from Bhim, on my first visit to the ‘Loktantra Shala’, as they call it locally, I assumed it might be just another place for some sort of research, frequented by intellectuals. But gradually, I discovered the uniqueness of the place. The campus has three-four buildings consisting of the main sabha hall, the library, a training hall, dining hall, and residential facilities.The main sabha hall is symbolic, in terms of its architecture. It’s made in a manner that no one individual occupies primacy in the meetings. Meetings there are more of a dialogue process, ensuring participation from everyone, which is one of the many important features of a democracy. During my conversations with Aruna Roy, I could actually understand what went into the making of this School. On one of her many visits overseas, she came across this concept of folk schools. Folk schools in Dutch countries were created to bring awareness among the general public about various democratic processes. She has tried replicating the same here in Bhim (located in Ajmer district of Rajasthan). The school follows the philosophy of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Marx. They target the local people around and beyond, especially the youth, and make them aware of the democratic processes and their rights, hoping that this would lead to the deepening of democracy by

EXPERIENCES helping them make informed choices. I was lucky enough to be a part of two events that were conducted there. One was a vyakhyan (lecture) on democracy, interestingly titled ‘sansad ka ek khamba maine bhi uthaya hain’. The event was a tribute to Mohanba, late member of MKSS who, though illiterate, played an active role in the democracy by being instrumental in bringing policies like RTI, NREGA. In the vyakhyan, what was very different was that they did not call some political scientist or some minister to speak on democracy. Instead, they called speakers like Naurtibai, who is the sarpanch of Harmada village and Sushilabai, who is a social activist in that area. They were not only good speakers but they also brought along stories of extraordinary courage shown by ordinary people. These ladies had an element of continuity in the face of enormous change they brought about and witnessed in life. There was a striking amount of modesty present in both of them. They were still one among the crowd and yet so different. They also happened to be invited by the UN to release a report on women studies. They spoke with such poise and confidence, narrating their life stories, their struggle as well as their fight towards a better society. They are actually one of the pillars of democracy — common people working in the system making an effort to actually make it work. The sabha made an excellent example of the common man using this platform for deliberation, discussion and not making the parliament the sole domain for the above. It also showed how policies, when provided with a stimulus from the grassroots level, become more participatory. I also attended a three-day training programme for the youth in the vicinity, aged 18 to 30, on constitution and democracy. The training programme was titled “Loktantra ki aur ek safar”. The trainees were a heterogeneous crowd, consisting of people like young school and college students, masons, daily wage labourers and even teachers etc. The sessions began with the discussion on constitution, primarily the Preamble, the Fundamental Rights etc. In order to make it more participative and link it to their everyday life, an innovative exercise was taken up. The participants were asked about the problems around them, back in their village and link it to the fundamental rights. This session led to how the youth perceive their surroundings and how a little awareness about the various provisions can equip them to deal with it in a better way. Issues like child marriage, drunken beating to land problems and several other livelihood issues came up during the session. They confidently gave a presentation later on with

the conclusion that awareness of provisions of the constitution can not only make them aware but also enable them to help others. The last day of the training programme mainly consisted of awareness about various important legislations like RTI, NREGA. Rajasthan government has passed a very innovative act called the right to hearing act, Sunwai Ka Haq. The procedural nitty-gritties were instructed to them. The beginning

The sabha made an excellent example of the common man using this platform for deliberation, discussion and not making the parliament the sole domain for the above

Evening programme by langamanganiyars in sabha hall

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Clockwise from Bottom Left - The trainees ready to give a presentation on fundamental rights - Aruna explainng the four pillars of democracy - sabha hall - Oath of democracy - Learning to file a RTI

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Nothing was more rewarding to me as an individual than teaching the trainees how to fill RTI Applications. I felt like I contributed to something, though minimal. While I was teaching them how to file an RTI, they raised several issues on which they always wanted information and how RTI had become a tool for it now. Aruna Roy also threw light on the future endeavours of School for Democracy, wherein such training sessions will continue and the lecture series as mentioned above can be conducted elsewhere too. It could be a gram panchayat or a school hall or some university premises. The lectures will be under the banner of School for Democracy. Apart from this it was an amazing experience to work with Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Bhanwar Meghwanshi and Shankar Mama. They function in a very democratic manner, which shows that they practise what they preach. Nowadays, where social media has started playing key roles in influencing opinions across the country, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s necessary that initiatives like School for Democracy are encouraged. It may help in not only bringing awareness but also spark a flame of interest among the youth in national as well as local politics, to make our democracy more inclusive. This exposure to School for Democracy greatly broadened my understanding of thought, however minimal this effort may sound, in terms of its scale. But, its impact in the times to come will definitely set a precedent for more such schools to come up in the country.

MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE BANGALORE DEBATING TOURNAMENT

Debating tournament Department of Journalism 15th, 16th, 17th and 18thaugust 2013

Venue : Mount Carmel College (2 participants per team) Registration fee : 500 per head Contact Details : Website : mountcarmeldt.webs.com anusha : 09880768623 nivedita : 09535636145

KLENE PAKS LTD.

OPINION

Class System Sanika Dhakephalkar Fergusson College Pune #coaching

1.5 lakh rupees for two years of elite education and the choicest complexes thrown in for free

e’re sheep, all of us. We’re vacuous and we’re is the new trend. Parents of the children who have decided full of fluff and we’re always on the lookout for what their children absolutely and unequivocally must do something to pin all our precious hopes on and with their lives, even before they enter their teenage (I am when that fails, something to bear the blame. of the opinion that being made to decide your career path We’re always on the lookout for a large crowd to blend in in your teens is fatal, but nevermind that). So ta-da! Founwith, pinning our precocious hopes on that pied piper who dation classes. Condition the child for five years to look at has promised to rid our city of that mice menace. He’s con- only one career option so he doesn’t make the mistake of venient too, co-incidentally, because when we fail and he’s believing he has a choice. Yes, that’s obviously the greatest taken all our children away too, we can spend the rest of idea they could have come up with. But it’s necessary. But college doesn’t have good our lives blatantly blaming him for ruining our lives. teachers. But college doesn’t prepare you for entrances. The Gods have lost their glamour and even the most education ministry must play some role in the conduction devout deadbeat in the world knows that praying isn’t goof these entrance exams for the government institutions. ing to help you get prettier or pass that exam you’ve been So if they can provide education that enables us to give failing for five years now. Look away from your light for one exam, why can’t they provide education that enables a bit and find a large herd of people following a new one, us to give another? Why can’t the ‘good’ teachers from the a shinier one. It has a name too, it’s called “MASTERS’S coaching classes teach in colleges? But that would be imCOACHING CLASSES.” Yes, with that apostrophe. Yes, in possible, the upheaval of the entire system, hence classes all caps. Oh, but look it has an experienced faculty from benefit. One party can continue doing nothing at all, the the best colleges of the country and air conditioned classother can continue to earn money. You scratch my back, I’ll rooms! Shiny light! A shrine must now be built. scratch yours. I wonder when it so happened that colleges lost all But they have found a way around that credibility and we forgot how to study at home, so much so too. Integrated classes, where bathat these classes are our primary sically one division of a college is source of education and college is Condition the child for five reserved for the students of this just attended so they let us appear class, who pay extra fees, and for exams. At first there was one years to look at only one career study for entrances in a college/ class, then there were three, then option so he doesn’t make the school campus during school there were three for every subject hours. So, you know, you don’t mistake of believing he has a and now there are twenty, in every time at school and you can area of the city. choice. Yes, that’s obviously the waste study instead. School/college in This class business is no greatest idea they could have volved receives lots of monies. child’s play. You need to start lookMore mutual back scratching. come up with ing for one well before your results Oh, but you can’t expect are out and you belong to an (ofit to be so easy now, can you? If ficial) educational institution. You you are poor; if you are highly intelligent but extremely need to find out what subjects are taught where, at what poor, you won’t get the privilege of a coaching class, now. time, in which area. Exorbitant fees, with the figures getting more and uncan You need to decide the best class for each subject and approach them before they are full to the brim with ny with each passing year ensure that you are only entitled children sitting on each other’s laps and windowsills too. to an education if you can empty your pockets for it. The No, but that’s not it. You need to be good enough. There more difficult the entrance, the higher the fees, the richer are, of course, entrance tests to classes that prepare you for the kids at the coaching class. Sure, starve yourself for your entrance tests (Oh, look. My head isn’t the only place where child’s education and send him there, but he’s never going that sounds foolish.). These entrance tests decide your fate to fit in there, is he? He’s going to be that kid in the corner — general batch, genius batch or genius of genius batch. who doesn’t talk to anybody, the social pariah, who doesn’t hang out with the others after class. Rs. One lakh for two Let the inferiority complexes begin. No, these are obviously not enough. Foundation years of education and a lifetime of various complexes batches that start a good five years before any sort of en- thrown in for free. Class system, yes? trance is expected to be tackled. Because who needs a childhood when you have brains (optional)? This, it seems,

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CampusDiaries AUGUST

THE BEGINNING

EXPERIENCES

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campusdiaries.com/picture-stories/road-to-recovery-0

BACK HOME

OPINION

She was a servant after all. There was nothing more and nothing less to this. Her mother was a maid, too. If she did the dishes, Rupa cleaned the veranda. Yes. Rupa. That was her name. Or maybe not. I like to think of her as gudiya rani or laalkumari

was eleven. She must be nine. Every day, I saw her dressed in torn, mismatched clothes. Gray salwaar, parrot kameez and a white dupatta. She wore it each single day. Her dark complexion, brown hair and that chipped nose ring complemented her look for the job. She was a servant after all. There was nothing more and nothing less to this. Her mother was a maid, too. If she did the dishes, Rupa cleaned the veranda. Yes. Rupa. That was her name. Or maybe not. I like to think of her as gudiya rani or laalkumari. Somehow, they did suit her better. In my head, at least. For reasons unknown, I wanted to be friends with her. I wanted to play with her. For the first and the only time when I tried, she ran away. Usually, she never said a word. She helped her mother do all the chores, silently and kept staring at my toys with her beautiful wide eyes whenever she entered my room. I was sure Rupa’s behavior changed the moment she came inside my gorgeous, rather designed, orange and pink coloured bedroom. Belonging to quite a well to-do family, I never whined for stuff. I had the best toys, the best dresses and even the best wallpapers for my cupboards. Rupa always became reclusive when she saw my stuff lying around. I could see she craved for them. Days when my friends used to come to my place, I could sense Rupa eyeing all of us from behind the door. At times, I wanted to call her inside. But, I never dared to. I guess that’s what I had learnt in a rich school. Her dad was an alcoholic and was unemployed. She had five siblings and surprisingly she was the eldest! He brutally beat her up and some said that Rupa was abused too. That explained a new bruise on the face each day and her walking funny at times. I had heard my parents talk

about how their work place is a whole new different world for them and how they feel good about themselves when they wear a tie and attend meetings. The eleven-year-old in me never understood it. Mainly because I could not see Rupa’s workplace being “a whole new different world” for her. If her father beat her up, my mother too would never hesitate from slapping her hard on the face for not doing the dishes right. I felt the pain. The sinking heart sensation when you realise nothing is right in this world for you. Yet, I kept quiet. I kept quiet because maybe it was none of my business. Or maybe because I was afraid to make the issue any of my business. I was just eleven but I vividly remember the day, Rupa was found hanging by a dupatta in her room. Her only white dupatta. Today, when I come across issues like child labour, I want to erase Rupa from my memories. I am an educated woman and it hurts me to know that somewhere in the past I did have my chance to do someone some good. I know if I had dared, I could have pulled Rupa out from that hell. Even though I was young myself and couldn’t have provided her any financial help, I could have at least been a friend to her. Maybe she could have found the strength on her own. But I didn’t. All sort of possibilities occupy my mind whenever I think of Rupa. But I know it’s a waste. Once gone is forever gone. This is to Rupa, the beautiful girl I once knew. And to all those little children whose childhood does not lie in cleaning shitholes. To all those beautiful gems of nature who do have a life of their own — I hope someday, this world will be a better place for you. I have decided to not let another Rupa die in vain. Have you?

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Asmita Sarkar Delhi University New Delhi #beginnings

CAMPUS

It was a magical time, the good old college days

t was 2009. That year things simply worked out for me. I got good grades in class 12th CBSE exams. My economics teacher in school told me rather spitefully when I got a 80 in the pre-boards that I wouldnt get more than this in my actual boards and to his favorite pets he gleefully said that they would score above 95. Without meaning to be boastful of it, those favorites of his did not make it and I did. Maybe I was skilled and just didn’t believe in myself or it was pure luck. They had discontinued the entrance in 2008 for English but strangely in 2009 they decided to bring it back. If not for CATE I wouldn’t have been in the college of my wish. Studying English literature that too from Hindu College, Delhi University and not the college across the street (St. Stephen’s) has been my dream since the popular series Love Story was shot there. It’s a silly thing to wish, but it came true. I could also have landed up at Sukhdev college of Business Studies, studying BBA but destiny (maybe me) had a different plan in mind. I had cleared the interview, I had gone to secure my admission with my parents when I saw hoards of students sitting with their parents and when I saw their faces, I couldnt really see myself amongst them. Business management is great for those who want to pursue it but as for Dharma (from Dharma and Greg) would say, “It wasn’t my bliss”. On my first day at college, I dragged my friend along to teach me how to smoke. Not something I am proud of. But that was not the beginning of the process that I would call — blowing my mind. What blew, literally blew, my mind was the liberal ideas. The theories, the people and the possibility of seeing the world through eyes of a thousand different places. The Indian writings that were translated and the ones written in English held me in their grip. It was fascinating to study post-colonial studies, to delve deeper into the urges my mind had striven to wake in me, to be aware of the injustice towards women not just

physically but to grasp the whole gamut of patriarchy racing through our society. Thus began the process of uncorking Asmita Sarkar’s mind. I always thought of myself as the renegade when I was in school. I could never fit in. I was mocked for my love for literature and my shyness on stage. I would craft stories and poems as much as I stuttered on stage. I was a part of a two member English Literary Club. We were running a gossip hour with our favorite teacher basically. The adorable friends I had when I was in school I still am in love with. We are still thick because we were a bunch of misfits and that brought us together. But the companions I got in college who were intellectually at par and above me (mostly) were part and parcel of the bomb that blew my brains. With them I am in love with because this friendship was forged not out necessity but out of commonality and mutuality. We understood each other and our small talk was done on topics like Capitalism, Feminism, Marxism etc. It was a class with actors, musicians, writers, critics, fashion designers, lawyers in the making. Not everyone went for a Masters in Literature. In my first year, I had to face some hard truths about human nature. People lie, they will deceive you for something as simple, some would say profound, as love. My best friend turned out to be a compulsive liar and he has the talent to become the poet of this generation. I also learned that there is no point in pitying those who are bent on ruining their lives. You can care but you can’t change them and when watching them go down gets too painful you must protect yourself. Humans are a mysterious bunch. They can die for the country but they can’t live for himself. Most need a reason to be alive, being alive is not enough for them. However, Albert Camus would disagree. He would urge one to embrace the absurdity of life and simply live for one’s own. Religion too I have come to not believe in. There is perhaps no god. Or there are super creatures (read aliens) who are treating humans as lab rats for some bizarre

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anthropological experiment. If you have read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy you would know that rats are superior creatures experimenting on humans and not vice versa. It was a different world out there. A world that is preserved in my mind inside a glass bubble that will never break. Sometimes it acts as the bitter pill, sometimes as the wonder drug. My last year passed away in loving all my classmates and dreading the day that we would be away from each other. I have been blessed in matters of friendship and am equally cursed in matters of the heart. However, the end of my last year in graduation saw a turn in that too. Without going into the details the summary of it was that I had found true love, not a soul mate but true love. These two concepts can be mutually exclusive in my opinion. How? That is a matter I would write about in detail on some other day. I have travelled physically and mentally on a journey that has taken me through deserts (literally) and beaches, rainbows and puddles. Living, being human, can be exhausting, ask the characters from the British TV show Being Human. There is much that is bizarre in me and there was a lot of things I was conforming when I was in school. In college too I conformed but the bunch of people I conformed to were such a wild bunch that to an outsider (Non-English Honours) person I would be just as insane as a female character that has not been written i.e. the honest portrayal of a woman. A human to be precise because to see a person from the gender-ed lens is to reduce them to their sexual organs.

In my head, I am not a “she”, I am only “me”. In this country where women are seen as machines for mass reproduction, I am a woman of childbearing age and I think I will never willingly give birth, but this too is a subject for another day. You see, this barrage of scattered ideas that are personal and should remain discreet that I bombarded you with, the reader, which have found space in my brain, thanks to this liberating experience called English Honours. My teachers and my college is a very big part of how it happened. Simply reading some ideas in a book doesnt change the way you think. If, like me, you studied under the CBSE board you would know that originality has little to do with education, but in college I had a hard time breaking out of this mentality I had acquired over 14 years of schooling. My marks till the end did not sample as a proof that I am an intelligent life force. There were many relationships that I acquired and many that I lost and in the running around and the chaos of finding my bearings as an adult, I realised that I can’t forget my batch, heck, even my teachers can’t forget my batch. They love us, still. On our farewell they wrote to us personal messages and read it out in front of the entire department. Sadly, the batch after us had to live in our shadow and strangely they are doing better than us academically, professionally. It is like my professor said, “Your batch is like a bunch of love sick puppies”.

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CampusDiaries AUGUST

Bhaiyya, Ek Cigarette Dena?

The faces behind the smoke and their take on the city they live in Gauri Saxena Lady Sri Ram College New Delhi #rough-cut

Salamuddin, 31 From Lucknow â&#x20AC;&#x153;Humein toh saari Dilli ki personality pasand hai.â&#x20AC;?

PEOPLE

Samundar, 60

Amit,17

Samundar, 60 Samundar. 60do do maheeno ke “Humein toh kuch nahi pata, hum toh sirf liye chuttiyon par aate hain aur bete ki dukaan sambhaalte hain.”

Banarsi

Amit, 17 from Azamgarh, “Majboori hai, school nahi jaa sakta par sapna hai army jawaan ban ne ka.” Banarsi Very recently returned to Delhi from Allahbad after cremating his 24-year-old son. “Theek hi hai Dilli, pasand hai sab kuch.” Pankaj, 24 Pursuing his Bachelor’s degree through correspondence from Delhi University. “Bachpan se reh raha hoon, accha hee hai.” SHAAN, 10 Salamuddin’s nephew. 10 years old. Has been in Delhi for two months and works with his Uncle. Shaan, 10

Pankaj, 24

Sunil, 24

Vijay Kumar, 30

Hemant, 30

Sunil, 24 60 Samundar. “Environment badhiya hai par log imaandaar nahi hain, bahut jhooth bolte hain.” Hemant, 30 “Pasand sab hai lekin napasand hain makkhiyan. Dil accha ho toh sab accha lagta hai.” Vijay Kumar, 30 “Dilli ki mehengai pasand nahi hai. Aur log ab badal gaye hain. Raat ko akele chalne mai bhi darr lagta hai.” VIKAS, 26 What do you like or dislike about Delhi? “Madam, ghoomne ka time hee kahan milta hai kuch pasand ya napasand karne ke liye?” AJAY, 28 “Business accha hota hai yahan lekin daaru aur cigarette ka zor bahaut rehta hai. Cigarette bechta hun phir bhi pasand nahi hai.”

VIKAS, 26

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AJAY, 28

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CAMPUSDIARIES

THE MAGAZINE

WANT TO GET FEATURED HERE ? CREATE & PUBLISH AT CAMPUSDIARIES.COM THE FINEST MAKE IT TO THE MAGAZINE

hange is a word that has been used so often that it has become synonymous with the society and its people. Embodying this change is INK. Through their main events- the INK Conference and now INK Live, they aim to equip you with their special ingredient through which you can do wonders. The INK Conference, in association with TED, is a coming together of a diverse set of people for 3 days of complete immersion in ideas. Compared to a ‘brain spa’, the stories, ideas, and perspectives shared here challenges your thinking and what you know. This year, the conference is held in Kochi from 25th - 27th October. Targeted specifically for the main change makers of todaythe youth, INK Live is a stimulating experience created around the live telecast of the INK conference from 25th - 27th October, with simultaneous workshops, contests, speaker interactions, and more. With attendees from India and different parts of the world, one can explore the ethnic, social and professional diversity of the world. It will be a perfect break for everyone who wishes to catch a break to engage, interact and learn. At INK Live we get an amalgamation of thoughts from the youth spread across states and countries, to grasp at the opportunity of learning more. It did not seem that it was being held for the first time last year due to the hundreds of people in attendance. Just goes to show that the willingness to change with time is something that has been imbibed in today’s youth, and what better place to learn than INK Live. Hence, for everyone else out there, read about the changes they’ve made, inspiration they’ve created and come be a part of the future!

Jeff Marx Kalki Koechlin

ALL THAT M ATTERS...

IN FOCUS

... to our INK Fellows. A sneak peek at their thoughts!

SHUBHENDU SHARMA

Founder and CEO of Afforrestt- making 100-year-old forests in 10 years “I must leave the earth better than I found it.” The power of human imagination is enormous and I believe that every action we take changes the future of the planet, bit by bit. We can create the world we imagine, so let’s make it. Now!

SANDESH REDDY Self-taught chef, resurrecting memories through food “Perfecting my craft and nurturing my dreams.” Being a self taught chefs means that we don’t have real bench marks as there are no real reference points its a constant struggle to better something that you have done before.

KRUSHNAA PATIL Mountain Climber- youngest Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest “To come back alive.” Being so close to summit but without rope, I realised that there was greed for me to continue on as I was young and the mountain wasn’t going anywhere, so we would be back.

VARUN AGARWAL Serial entrepreneur and author of “How I Braved Anu Aunty and Founded a Million Dollar Company.” “To live your dreams.” So that every single day is so exciting that you live it as though it’s your last.

SOURABH KAUSHAL Space enthusiast and researcher of space debris mitigation and space elevator “Be the change what I want to see in this world.” To realise people’s potential and encourage them to pursue their goals because all that matters is what makes you feel happy.

VICKY ROY Rag picker to international photographer “To create photographs.” Any act of creation is meaningful when it entails honesty, courage and grace.

INK Fellows are young changemakers and doers, 20 are chosen every year by INK” . “Know more about the INK Fellows Program http://www.inktalks.com/fellows/about” CampusDiaries AUGUST

Malavika Sarukkai

Sarthak Pranit – IT Analyst, CISCO Before anything, I want to thank INK for giving me a set of dates in a year when I can pause, think and develop on myself. I shall remember 10th to 12th of October of 2012 as those days that changed my outlook about myself. All the speakers, both onscreen and on-stage, were just magnificent. The stark truth portrayed by d’byi Young gave me the goose bumps. It’s not often after watching a speaker for just 10 mins that you are left with a dry throat and a mind that just echoes the pain of a poem. However, it was the workshop conducted by Lynda Barry that was the show stealer. In a way, it changed my life. I knew absolutely nothing about cartoons. But I realised that day that anything can be fun as long as we are enjoying it. This realization was my cue to pick up free-lancing and work for something I was passionate about. It’s like being paid for a hobby. Who knows what this year’s edition has in store for me!

Puneet Jain – Business Associate, ZS Associates

d’bi Young Anitafrika

“Sheer bare inspiration that stands the test of time.” Those are the words that I would like to use to describe my experience at INK Live 2012. It’s not often that one comes across a creed of people who defy rules, who admonish the status-quo, who disregard norms, only because its not acceptable of them to do so. There’s a sparkle of courage to dream in such people. Each of those attendees I befriended at INK Live had such a glint. There were the livestreamed talks, the WOW prizes, and the exceptional workshops. But the one single element I took from this conference was the network I was able to build in that span of those two days. Before INK Live, I had always imagined how it would be like to hang out with friends who are daring dreamers. The experience was far better than my expectations. Thanks INK Live for giving me that chance and can’t wait to see what this year’s edition holds!

The INK conference, in association with TED, is an annual conference that aims to fuel innovation and foster knowledge by bringing together the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most fascinating thinkers and doers on a global stage. The ideas that these speakers put forth are shared with the world, inspiring thought, conversation, and ultimately action. The INK conference, formerly TEDIndia, is TEDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner conference in India. Watch out for the INK Conference 2013 | Oct 25 - 27 | Kochi Joi Baruah & Shruti Haasan

Stefan Sagmeister

Vasundhara Das

All photos : Nimish Jain and Varsha Yeshwant Kumar for INK

Lynda Barry

Jaaved Jafferi

Arunachalam Muruganantham

The Smoking Panda

#original

SKULLTASTIC

A collection of skull artworks using minimal colours which also breaks the stereotype that skulls are evil. Because, skulls can be fun too

Danish Anjum Shaikh Dr. D. Y. Patil College Of Applied Arts And Crafts Pune

The Muchhad Mummy

ART

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The Dead Red Head

The Floating Skull

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THEATRE

Sreepriya Menon Lady Sri Ram College New Delhi #cause

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Contact Tehelka: Aside from the Yuva Ekta programme we have several art based programmes running for juvenile offenders in Delhi. Websitewww.thetehelkafoundation.org A lot of our programmes are volunteer-based, and we always need students to come help out with events, blogs, workshops and our regular programmes too. Students who wish to volunteer and can dedicate their time and energy to working with us may mail us at info.tehelkafoundation@gmail.com

All photos by The Tehelka Foundation

CampusDiaries AUGUST

t’s a humid Saturday afternoon in Dilli Haat, the cen- valuable, their issue for the year being gender stereotypes tre for arts, crafts, and culture from all across India and discrimination, which actually cuts across classes. As when about 20 young adults walk in wearing white seen very clearly in the play, the way this manifests is differt- shirts of the Tehelka Foundation. I go over and say Hi ent in different sections of society. Bhanu adds, “Every day to my friends Bhanu, Lalit and Subhadra and their guide we used to divide in groups and each group used to work Ms Puneeta, all of them were geared up and super charged on a few scenes related to gender stereotype, either from for a play they were about to enact. The stage is set, a small their own experiences or whatever they observed around cleared space between the coloured artefacts and their them.” makers and of course the much familiar cartoonist. The Thus, different facets of the same issues were rhythm on the dafli starts it off, and all the actors shout out brought to light. All the characters, stories and formats the typical nukkad style invitation to watch the play while were conceptualised by the group. And the topic also was moving around the complex. mutually decided by the group. The play is a huge learning “Aao aao natak dekho!” echoes around and the en- experience for the relatively privileged students who beergy levels are fanatically high. They’ve aroused the inter- come sensitised towards the harshness of the social fabric est of almost every soul who was making a decision to buy in which they usually get the better share than their felthe authentic piece of art as well as people who had just low actors. The other students receive acknowledgement stepped into the colours that this bazaar has to offer. Their of their own talent and are encouraged to aspire to higher voice is unwavering, demanding an audience. goals in life. The performance and its appreciation inspire a The play is genuine, to the point and humorous. sense of self-belief and respect in them. One can easily see that the camaraderie between the actors Theatre is a strong and effective platform for is natural and effortless. And what’s more, the actors are a self-exploration, expression and communication of transpart of the script writing proformative ideas. Subhadra cess, each contributing from “By the end of the workshops though, finds that a lot of group thetheir own gruelling and someatre is based in trust buildone can’t really differentiate between times frightening experiences. ing, which is very essential to the two groups because they all merge break down social barriers. Bhanu, who also acted in this play, tells me, “The experience into one happy cohesive group working “All in all it’s also a dynamic was amazing. Everyone in the and fun medium to interact together,” says Subhadra group were from different with young people,” she says. backgrounds, Salaam BaalLalit, another actor (and my ak Trust, Aarushi Girl’s home, YP Foundation, Bluebells friend), adds that it has taught him a lot of patience as an School, DAV Public School, MSM School and DPS Vas- actor and as a person changed him. It has moved him beantKunj. It was great how they all got comfortable work- yond mere verbal analysis of social problems and change to ing with each other and opened up so well.” She has been actually do something about it. It has taught him to be unafraid working with the Tehelka Foundation for over a year now of a little embarrassment and not to take it to heart. “You know… and she says that it gives her a sense of responsibility and move on from things and look at the bright side so to speak. Not be empowerment. so cynical and believe in people…” Those are important lessons if Subhadra, who is a co-facilitator of this particular you ask me. venture says, “The Yuva Ekta programme has been running Even as we look for institutional, and legislative changfor the past eight years and each year, we get together a es in our society, to remedy the mighty problems of poverbunch of students from different socio-economic sections ty, justice, equality and education, this group of students and to work together on street plays on various issues. Apart their guides have taken charge and as Bhanu puts it, “Even if from the final performance which in itself reaches out to a the steps we are taking are small, they are steps in the right divery diverse audience, serving as an advocacy tool for what- rection. We are a small team who strongly believe in what ever theme we work on, the theatre workshops are a great we do, and are focused on what change we want to bring.” way to build bridges between the young people we work I say, Kudos! We need to pick a path each and do the with.” I asked her how the members of their team who be- same. And most often it is us who will have fun and make the long to the economically underprivileged sections figured most of our time. Even here, we are at the receiving end of the in this play. She noted that their inputs were in fact very privilege of having the satisfaction of doing our bit. And each bit counts.

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campusdiaries.com/picture-stories/the-nukkad-effect-part-i & -ii

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PROJECT

St. Xavierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College Mumbai

#change

Lighting lives, one litre at a time

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These are a couple of the extraordinary moments at Jal Jyoti that drive and motivate us to make a difference. A youth-run social venture, we at Jal Jyoti, provide a carbon-free alternative to traditional lighting in urban slum areas using nothing but a bottle of water and sunlight. A project by Sanjna Malpani, Ashna Roy, Tasneem Kakal and Radhika Lokur ‘Now, for the first time in my life I wake up to natural light everyday’ – Ashwini Anand (Premnagar, Worli) ‘With the money I save on my monthly electricity bills now, I can buy clothes for my children.’ – P.B Shinde (Darukhana, Reay Road)

he inspiration

It all started in October 2012. While volunteering at a school in a slum, I noticed that the majority of slum communities, including homes and schools, were plunged in darkness even during the day. Even the school that I taught at was not allowed to put the lights on till 7 PM, even though it was dark by around 6 PM every evening as the landlord did not want to incur the additional electricity costs. This was the case all around — even though electricity was available, it was still unaffordable. Most chose to get by in the darkness, but the school children were not given a choice and this adversely affected their progress in class. The idea It was due to this recurring phenomenon that I decided to investigate lighting alternatives. I came across Alfredo Moser’s technique of lighting homes using the simple yet ingenious concept of refraction through a plastic bottle. During a power cut in his factory in Brazil over a decade ago, he had used this unconventional method of lighting and it worked brilliantly. It worked so well, in fact, that it spread to the neighbouring shanties and homes as well. Soon, families were willingly drilling holes in their roofs to make way for the bottle of water which provided light. Although originating in Brazil, this idea quickly become a large-scale global movement, spreading to over 9 countries with a hub in the Philippines, under the name “Liter of Light”. So, what is this ‘Bottled-Light’? It is just a 1.25 litre PET bottle filled with water and about 10 ml of bleach, the sole purpose of which is to prevent algal growth. A hole is then drilled in the roof of a slum and the bottle is installed half outside the roof and half inside the house. The sunlight hits the upper half of the bottle and due to ‘Total Internal Reflection’ disperses the light into the home acting like a 55 watt bulb. Cheap to install and free to run, the Bottled-

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Light works for five years and makes for a sustainable solution for low-income communities. The journey so far It started off with four girls — Tasneem Kakal, Radhika Lokur, Ashna Roy and I, Sanjna Malpani, who set out into the slums of Backbay Colaba with a 1.25 litre Coca Cola bottle and a drill machine in hand, to install this wondrous ‘Bottled-Light’. Soon after, an international Liter of Light team from Switzerland joined us in Bombay to show us the ropes. With our help, these eight amazing students from the University of St. Gallen’s adapted to the conditions here quickly, and in their short visit of four days we not only conducted a bottle making workshop for over 30 students but also installed 15 bottles. It was a truly beneficial collaboration for both sides, and we definitely learned a lot. Today, Jal Jyoti has over 30 volunteers from across colleges, and we have installed 105 of these lights across nine slums in the city, all the way from Colaba to Oshiwara, which have directly impacted over 500 people. On an average, a household saves Rs. 200 a month on their electricity bill after installing these lights. The hurdles It hasn’t always been a smooth ride. The first difficulty we faced was adapting the materials required to make this light suitable for the local conditions in Mumbai. We initially thought all houses had tin or aluminium as their roofing material. However, we were soon proved wrong. It turned out that due to the fact that these metals heated up quickly and turned shanty houses into a sauna, a mixture of asbestos and cement was the favoured option for most roofs. We then found fibre-glass to be the most appropriate choice to fit the bottles in due to it’s large corrogations. As expected, we also faced several difficulties on entering a particular slum for the first time. Who wouldn’t

put up some resistance when a stranger wants to drill a hole where we had a bottle-making workshop with members through their roof? We found that it is always the first home of the low-income community, NGOs and volunteers. in a community which is the most difficult to convince. As a team of young college students, we feel that However, once the first home is lit up, the effectiveness of it is essential to mobilise the power of youth to make this a the Bottled-Light does the rest and very soon, we have the large-scale movement. We have already begun this process entire community asking us to install a light in their home. by partnering with Queen Mary’s School, and these amazing We spread awareness about our cause through 15 year old girls have been assisting us to fit and seal the exhibitions such as via the Science exhibition at the Don bottles in their fibre glass holders. We have also initiated Bosco School, as well as by putting up stalls at various college conducting workshops with local schools in various slum events. We also conducted our first fundraiser by organising communities to spread further awareness about our cause. a football tournament, called Learning from each other / “Pumped Up Kicks : Score memorable moments for a Cause”. With over 150 students participating, it was Our vision is to see every household Even after installing more than 100 Bottled-Lights, the extremely well-received and in India with adequate access to effectiveness of the light does apart from raising funds, we not fail to amaze us, every managed to engage many light at all hours of the day. For time. Moreover, when new volunteers to join the this reason, we are also developing single the home-owners see the movement. We definitely plan a night solution. Since the bottled- light, the joy that it brings to to make this an annual event. We also received light is made of easily available and their faces is unforgettable. While installing these lights, tremendous support from our inexpensive materials, we believe each one of us has built strong college, St. Xavier’s College with these (Autonomous) Mumbai. Our that communities can take forth this relationships communities and made many principal Fr. Frazer provided project independently friends, including a person us with advice and support who had been a pastry chef at every step and even faculty at the Taj Hotel for 37 years! members such as Mr. Agnelo Through Jal Jyoti, we have Menezes went out of his way to provide us with a toolbox and storage space for all our material. The name “Jal Jyoti” also had the chance to interact with several and our initial logo was actually the brain child of a faculty amazing people from different organisations who have helped us make the project what it is today. of the Life Science Department, Ms. Girija Balan. We have learnt that by working together we can Steps ahead light millions of lives, one litre at a time — and at the same Our vision is to see every household in India with adequate time enrich our own. access to light at all hours of the day. For this reason, we are How can you help? also developing a night solution. Since the bottled-light is made of easily available and inexpensive materials, we believe In our eyes, Jal Jyoti isn’t just an NGO, it’s a movement. If that communities can take forth this project independently. you’d like to be a part of this movement, whether it’s just To facilitate this, we are now conducting workshops with dropping off some empty 1.25 litre Coke bottles to help local communities to impart the skills and know-how light a home or even a major step like wanting to initiate required to make, install and maintain the Bottled-Light. a Jal Jyoti chapter in your own city or college — you can In addition, we believe that creating Jal Jyoti get in touch with us on info@jaljyoti.org. Every single action Chapters across the country will aid this process. We recently counts, and we draw inspiration from even the tiniest conducted a workshop in association with Children’s amount of support we receive. Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) in Nagpur

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OPINION

nly a literate India is going to be a shining India. But let’s face it. India is neck deep tangled in issues when it comes to the topic of education. Our system is broken and we are haplessly trying to do damage control. India is still a victim to its policies, orthodox nature, and the list of ridiculous regulations. In my current role as a Teach For India Fellow, I teach sixth grade in an under resourced government school in Mumbai. Allow me to give you a bird’s eye perspective of the state of education in Maharashtra through the eyes of someone experiencing it at the grass roots. The official count of the population of Mumbai is 1.27 crore. There is 97% enrolment of kids in schools. There are 1612 Primary schools (Government Schools + Aided Schools) and 49 Secondary Schools (Government Schools + Aided Schools). If you do the basic math, it is starkly evident that the disparity in the number of schools of primary and secondary is too wide. One can’t help but think where the large chunk of students who complete their primary schooling are going after? This is the condition of one of the highest Central government-funded states. By some estimates India produces twice as many new graduates each year as it can absorb. But the quality, as the employers shout and cry about, is abysmally low. The actual focus of the Right to Education Act (RTE) is on the right to schooling and being provided the right physical infrastructure. The ironic part of the act is, if it is implemented properly and strictly, it will forcefully result in the closure of thousands of non-state schools, leaving a very large percentage of poor kids out of the schooling system. In 1993, the Supreme Court recognised that the right to education was a fundamental right as it was an inherent part of the Right to Life. The central government initiated Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the year 2000, to bring outof-school children to school, increase retention of children at upper primary level, and to improve the learning achievement in school. The establishment of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), a major initiative in secondary education, and the enhanced expenditure on higher education, indicates the spending done by the government to improve the secondary education infrastructure in India. The reliance on the government to provide the funding to make ends meet in government schools will only feed more bad into the system. Parents on the other hand are making every effort to make sure that their children get quality education that’ll help them progress in life. But even that hope now seems to be a lot to expect. To realise their expectations for their children, they are turning to private schools and tuitions or after school programs. The prescribed pupil-teacher ratio is said to be

By some estimates India produces twice as many new graduates each year as it can absorb. But the quality, as the employers shout and cry about, is abysmally low 30:1, but I’ve personally in my school been a witness average ratios of 50:1 and in one case 78:1. The act also mandates that all teachers which are untrained must be trained within a time period of five years from the date of the enforcement of the act. India’s extremely dismal performance in the “Programme or International Student Assessment” (PISA) tests with India ranking 71 out of 73 nations indicates that we are still in a severely crippled state. I’ve just scratched the surface of issues. Some questions to ask are - Enrolment is increasing, but are the children learning anything of substantial value? What will be required to improve the quality of teaching in classrooms? Are we really catering to the learning levels of children? Are the teachers incentivised enough? In my opinion, here are some ways in which we can make our system better — • Instead of focusing purely on content; it is time we shift the focus to teaching skills, skills that will help children to sail through the rigours of life. • Focus must now be put on using technology in the classrooms to make learning more interactive and fun and circumvent the problem of shortage of quality teachers. • Make classrooms a more happier place and nurture the quality to ask questions • It is important to rapidly ramp up the infrastructure of the under resourced schools in the country. • Regular impact assessments must be done on the implementation of the programme and the results must be made public. • Ensure that children are the focus and the beneficiary of all these policies. Not the people who will implement or sanction it. • Allow innovation and experimentation in classrooms to really check what works and what doesn’t. • Consider the feedback from children very seriously. India is steadily moving to an economy where the bulk of its population will be in the relatively young age group of 20-35 years of age. This is definitely a time of great opportunities but also the time of challenge. If manoeuvred through this situation well, India will richly benefit from this demographic dividend that will be appropriately educated and rightly skilled. As a practitioner of education and having seen the system closely, these are my few cents on making a nonfunctional system better.

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PEOPLE

ajpat Nagar is known for three things: salwar kameez, food and cheap lingerie. This market is a paradox in itself for it is more or less a flea market which rests in the heart of Delhi’s posh Southern end. For those who cannot afford Victoria’s Secret or even La Senza, Lajpat Nagar is the place to go. The difference between high end brands and unbranded lingerie may lie in prices and Kate Moss but there is another difference involved. At big stores, the women always sell bras. At Lajpat Nagar, men do. What is so unusual about that? Men sell all sorts of things, right? If you ever notice, there is something about bras that makes guys avoid the lanes where they are sold. They will prefer taking a longer route but won’t enter the lane where colourful bras hang from plastic hangers. Even if they do, they walk like a horse whose eyes have been covered at the sides so he only walks straight. DON’T LOOK LEFT OR RIGHT — KEEP WALKING, KEEP WALKING ! Now that my guy friends had me curious with their ‘horse-walk’, I just had to know how it feels like to be a man who sells bras. “Humaara to kaamhaiji,” says Meharwan Singh, a trader at the market. I ask him if he ever feels awkward and he denies vehemently.” How will I sell if I feel shy? I have to earn money.” He is very quick with the customers and works at the speed of light. When a woman persists he says “Nahi madam ji, is size me ek hi colourhai” (Sorry Madam, we only have one colour in your size). While handling customers he talks to me about how girls have become more independent and outspoken. They used to come with their mothers earlier. Now they come upfront and ask for what they want and from what he tells,

The difference between high end brands and unbranded lingerie may lie in prices and Kate Moss but there is another difference involved. At big stores, the women always sell bras. At Lajpat Nagar, men do

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Being the sole bread earner of his family, he has to spend hours answering women’s questions, a job not many men would prefer. So, when he said, “I don’t feel shy”, I think what he somewhat meant was, “I am not ashamed”. And why should he be? they ask for all sorts of things — neon colours, crazy prints, fancy straps… and the list goes on. “Modern zamaana hai,” (these are modern times), he concludes. Clothes go out of fashion every season except for the legendary LBD (Little Black Dress). I ask him if the same applies to bras too. Surprisingly, it does. “We have to keep changing our collection. Trends keep changing,” he says. Some popular trends that he listed included polka dots, halters, stripes, checks... pretty much in sync with the recent trends in apparel. He confesses that his job is not an easy one. His jam packed schedule only allows him a single day off in a week, and that too on a Monday, when his kids are away at school. “I have two boys. Both of them are under ten. I wish I could spend more time with them.” Though he does make it a point to visit the Gurudwara everyday. I ask him if he has some career plans for his boys to which he replies, “I will allow them to take up anything they want to. I want to expand my business but I won’t force my boys into it. If they want to take it up, I am okay with it. If not, I am fine with that too.” He goes on to narrate a few incidences with customers. What amuses him the most is when rich women haggle for ten or twenty bucks. “They get down from flashy cars but still bargain for a few rupees. If I ever have that

much money, I would like to go on a forrun (foreign) trip.” He does admit to a few questions that embarrass him like when someone asks if a bra would fit well. “How would I know? I don’t wear one! I just say, yes Madam.” A lot of his customers also come looking for ‘bridal wear’, but he doesn’t keep that. When I ask him to elaborate a bit on what ‘bridal wear’ is he shies away and simply replies, “No madamji. We don’t keep that.” That coyness in his smile reveals that ‘bridal wear’ means naughty lingerie.I notice he had almost started to blush, so I decided to leave. Being the sole bread earner of his family, he has to spend hours answering women’s questions, a job not many men would prefer. So, when he said, “I don’t feel shy”, I think what he somewhat meant was, “I am not ashamed”. And why should he be? He is just doing his job. But when he goes out shopping in a woman’s company, I think he would do the ‘horse-walk’ too. Comes naturally to men, you see. What is it about bras that invoke such mystery, awkwardness and embarrassment to men? Tell you what… even women don’t know. As for the opposite sex, I think they will keep ‘horse-walking’ for quite some time! P.S. : If any boy has some theory behind the ‘horse-walk’, please do let us know.

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TUDOR ETCHELLS IE University, Spain

OPINION

elhi University kept its promise of having “no quality and achievement of learners. The National Policy 100% cut-offs this year” (or did they?). The devil on Education (NPE), 1986 and the revised NPE, 1992, reiterlies in the details as most of the reputed and even ated the urgency to address the quality concerns in schools the off campus colleges had swelling cut-offs exceeding the education on priority basis. Quality cannot improve by itmark of 95%. In the midst of astonishment and shattered self. It requires reforms in teacher training, improvements hopes, few households found a reason for jubilations as in the facilities and infrastructure of schools, teachers’ moyears of slog, technique, sleepless nights, neat notebooks tivation, and a change in the style of teaching to make it and perfectly underlined answer papers bore fruit — the more appealing to the students. However, in actual pracfew that did get admission to Delhi University. tice, there has always been a trade-off between quality One question that everyone seems to ask is why and quantity, in favour of the latter. This not only affected does Delhi University generate so much pressure with their the internal efficiency of the educational system but also inhuman cut-offs? One can simply jump to the conclusion resulted in a situation where only a few graduates of the that it’s perhaps because DU wants to take up only the ‘in- school could attain the expected skills and competencies. tellect cream’ for its colleges and maintain its prestige of be- Moreover, in primary education, privately ing one of the most eminent universities in India, thus fos- managed schools have a monopoly in quality, accessibility tering elitism. To some extent, and efficiency, which means, I agree with this view point, as education to urban class, ‘fundamental elitism’ could insince the fee structure and DU asks for ‘perfect’ marks from deed be seen in many landmark the geographical location i.e. imperfect kids and justifies it on colleges of DU. But having said cities, is quite inaccessible ‘survival of the fittest’. But is the blame to the majority rural parts. that, I think it is a rather subjective view (and perhaps an altoto be put on DU exclusively, or it is just While the government is yet gether different topic of discusto provide the same level of a shadow of an elephant in the room? sion) to look at a problem which infrastructure, resources and is dynamic and is rooted deeper quality to the government in the Indian education system run schools, the gap between of India. And DU is just one of the examples of this ailing the urban and rural India is widening through this educaeducation system. tional void, causing great hindrance to India’s dream of be The vice chancellor of DU in one of the in- ing a developed state, because after all 70 per cent of India terviews stated that the administration is incapable of whose development is being talked about, lives in villages. keeping the cut-offs low because various school boards, And our higher education universities and colleges seem especially CBSE, is granting very high marks to their stu- least bothered about this growing gap, or maybe they are dents. So, since the number of seats are limited in DU, just powerless to tackle it. After all, if the rural population the administration is bound to keep the cut offs high does not have access to the preliminary education, their to ensure selection of the best. This brings into light a opportunity to higher education is already eliminated. very acute problem that India is facing in the sphere of Thus, in my opinion, admission criteria based on cut-offs education: quality concerns in preliminary education. only serves to put students from poor background to fur ‘The destiny of India is now being shaped in her class- ther disadvantage since they have had no access to qualroom’. This is how the Education Commission described ity private schools (or any schooling at all), thus making the role of primary education in social and economic the whole admission process bias towards urban elite and transformation of India. While the development planners rich students having access to private tuitions, schools and rightly recognised that expansion of educational facilities coaching. So is the highly coveted and most prestigious seat has to be accompanied with significant improvements in of DU based on an urban favouring selection? Of course, quality and relevance of education at all levels, especially at the system and the people at power would present examprimary, the outcome is quite disappointing. As far as the ples to show that it is not true, but we must know exceptions provision of access and coverage is concerned, India today are not mirrors of reality. boasts of its educational system being the second largest in If the urban-rural education plight was not enough the world. No doubt, the system can claim it to be one of there is yet another problem the system seems incapable to the largest, but it cannot make similar claims for efficiency, cope with — lack of co-ordination and relation between the

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centre and the state education authorities. The basic ed- minimum standard to give admissions. The quality assurucational planning models have gone off the trajectory ance system must be independent of political and instituboth at the centre as well in the states. The inter-state and tional interaction and it must have a basis in the legislation. intra-state variations in school facilities, quality of teach- There should be operational, financial and academic auers and learning outcome are diverse and so are social tonomy coupled with accountability. There is a need of an and economic conditions of the areas where the primary independent accreditation agency with a conglomerate of schools operate. The quality of the education, subjects em- government, industry, academia, society etc., which means phasised, approach to education and learning all together all stakeholders of the education to ensure that the stakediffers from one state to another due to various political, holders particularly the students are not taken for a ride. social, regional and ideological reasons, thus giving rise to They should be able to know whether a particular instituan imbalance in the overall quality of the academia pro- tion delivers value or not, then things can be under control duced. And this imbalance creates a further paradox when to some extent. Another way, which is already in practice it comes to finding a parameter to judge these students for in many other universities like A.M.U or Jamia Millia Ishigher education. Another problem that I think is worth lamia, is admission through entrance tests. And if further pointing out is the question of defining quality of educa- distillation is required, it can be done through interviews. tion. In India, the examination results are often used as a This seems to be a more ‘fair’ process since the required proxy for the quality of education. minimum percentage is not an insane number, (which However, such a method is fraught with great does not lead to suicides and depressed youth) and which problems, as the examination system is limited in scope leaves scope for more than a handful of students. It has a and coverage as far as learning test which includes various is concerned. Acquiring both indicators to judge ones apticognitive and non-cognitive One useful approach could be to select tude, general knowledge, IQ, competencies are necessary for analytical skills, specialised a range of educational indicators a child’s overall development. knowledge of the required that are explicit and measurable, However, most of the research subject and so on. The serepresenting various facets of quality. lected candidates can further in learning achievement has only focused on the assessment Colleges and universities should set up be scaled in an interview of cognitive skills acquired by judges other requireQuality Assurance Cell and must follow which the students. An equally reliable ments in students. I do not measure of quality of education a minimum standard to give admissions say that it is the perfect way is whether the pupils are learnof selection but it definitely ing effectively, improving their is less cruel. knowledge, skills and abilities, widening their experience These scandalous DU cut offs has raised another and growing socially and morally or not. Ability to work grave issue which our higher education system is dealing with others, readiness to accept responsibility and to work with, or running away from — the acute shortage of quality for public good are highly praised characteristics among universities and institutions in India to meet the demands school leavers. But assessment tools do not test for such of the academia produced. skills. While there is no consensus among educationists re- India’s higher education system is the world’s garding the definition of the quality in education, quality is third largest in terms of students, next to China and the thus linked to the efficiency of marks scored. United States. But India’s gross enrolment ratio is a mere 11 Quality is a relative concept and not something per cent compared to China’s 20 per cent, the USA’s 83 per that is absolute. Cut-offs therefore, has a fundamental flaw cent and South Korea’s 91 per cent. This means that in comas far as judging the quality of a student is concerned. It not parison to India, China has double the number of students only negates an established fact that the experience and ac- pursuing higher education. According to the census done cess of primary education differs at various levels, but also in 2011, there are only 227 government-recognised Univerpromotes ‘a directionless race’, which would and is only re- sities in India. University Grants Commission (UGC) in a sulting in creating a dead development. report states that India needs 1500 more universities with One useful approach could be to select a range of educa- adequate research facilities by the end of the year 2015 in ortional indicators that are explicit and measurable, repre- der to improve its human development index in the global senting various facets of quality. Colleges and universities market. This requires a substantial increase in the number should set up Quality Assurance Cell and must follow a of institutions and consequently would require an adequate

number of teachers for imparting education. But the gov- set strict quality related standards for all higher education ernment is at a crossroad. While there is a need for an ex- institutes, increase the annual budget granted to universipansion of the higher education sector, resource constraint ties and open up new government universities and colleges for both the Centre and the states poses a challenge to in order to meet the demand of emerging students. This ensure quality education even in the existing institutions. would not only solve the admission related issues that the The government after pursuing neo-liberal policies for the present universities and colleges are facing but would also last 17 odd years is keen to open the higher education sec- open doors of education and employment opportunities tor to the private providers, either through public-private for students and teachers respectively. Secondly, we are participation or foreign direct investment in higher educa- in dire need to produce more teachers and academicians tion. The society is divided. While one section is opposed who are well trained and skilled. The number of PhDs from to commoditisation of education, the other section thinks Indian Universities should increase with proper standards. that involving the private sector is the only way out. How This should be seen in the context of extremely low fracwould the higher education sector evolve in response to tion of PhDs in India in relation to what it is in USA, UK, these challenges is a crucial issue for the government to Germany, Japan etc. For that, incentives should be providtackle. ed to teachers and researchers to make these professions The Indian universities and colleges not only face more attractive for the younger generation. Thirdly, it is the problem of being limited in number but also in quality. important to provide need based job-oriented courses. All According to the London Times Higher Education (2009) - round development of personality is the purpose of eduWorld University rankings, there is no Indian university in cation. But the present day education is neither imparting the rankings from 100 to 200, Delhi University managing true knowledge of life nor improving the talent of a stuat 291. Recognising this dual challenge, our Prime Minister, dent by which one can achieve laurels in the field one is Manmohan Singh, severely interested. So, a combination criticised in a recent speech of art subjects and computer ‘The time has come to create a second science and science and huthe serious qualitative deficiencies in Indian higher edumanities or literature should wave of institution building and of cation. Reflecting on the findbe introduced so that such excellence in the fields of education, ings of a confidential report by courses could be useful for research and capability building’ the National Assessment and the students to do jobs after Accreditation Council, he exrecruitment and also would pressed his concern over the help them to widen their horifact that two thirds (68%) of the country’s universities and zons, not to forget it will cultivate a sense of respect for 90 percent of its colleges are “of middling or poor quality”. all streams of education. Finally, I think there is a need to There are many basic qualitative problems facing higher have a reform in our examination pattern, gradually shifteducation in India today. These include inadequate infra- ing from the terminal, annual and semester examinations structure and facilities, large vacancies in faculty positions to regular and continuous assessment of a student’s perforand poor faculty thereof, outmoded teaching methods, mance in learning. declining research standards, unmotivated students, over- I read a speech made by our Prime Minister, Dr. crowded classrooms and widespread geographic, income, Manmohan Singh, in which he said, ‘The time has come gender, and ethnic imbalances. Knowledge is the base for to create a second wave of institution building and of exoverall growth and if the nation has to be competitive and cellence in the fields of education, research and capability to be at par with the globalisation pace, we will have to re- building’. We need an educational system that is modern, spond to these shortcomings in our education system. liberal, and equitable and can adapt to the changing needs I’m an optimist who likes to believe that our gov- of a changing society, a changing economy and a changing ernment is not sleeping over these major issues which world. However, one Delhi University can’t make much difconcerns our development, and is therefore taking conference, bad or good either. In fact it is a mere reflection of tinuous, rigorous steps towards remedy. However, I’m a the great challenges India has to address in the field of ednarcissist too, so a few suggestions from my side won’t do ucation. If the government works more on such initiatives, much harm, if not profit, either. Firstly, I believe the UGC the future will be ours, the dream to be the world’s greatest of India, the lone grant giving agency in the country, also economy won’t be difficult to achieve. responsible for coordinating, determining and maintaining And know this, I’m a dream walker and my wings are not the standards in institutions of higher education, should made up of wax.

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#letters Jennifer Sharmila Loyola College Chennai

EXPERIENCES

This war story has been passed down from my great grandmother to her daughter to my mother and finally to me. I am handing it over to you guys now

Burma 1942 The Japanese had invaded Burma. War was at its peak. Sounds of ammunition and wails of innocent people getting killed, engaged in an independent crossfire. In an underground tunnel, 500meters below the surface, sat a young girl enclosed in a cage created by her own limbs. She was pregnant. She sat there still and unmoving. A strong brave girl. She sat there bearing her pain with all the strength her frail body could provide. Her name was Dora. Dora was married to a certain Mr.Ratnam. She had moved to Burma from Madras because her husband was a migrant worker. Life would have been romantically quite beautiful for the young girl if war hadn’t exploited Burma. Dora waited for the bell to ring. Every few hours the bell resonated everywhere and the war would come to a temporary halt and the common people would rush out to get some food and water. Dora too would run to her battle battered home and scrape whatever lentils and rice she could find. She would gobble it down and run back to her hiding hole. With the baby developing inside her womb, she found it very hard. As the months progressed, the war intensified with the British trying to drive out the Japanese. Dora too fought an internal battle raged;

she fought hard to keep her unborn baby alive, until she couldn’t take it anymore and decided to come back to Madras. Her husband brought her to the harbour in the depth of the night promising her that he’ll meet her in Madras as soon as he could.Dora found shelter in a corner behind a stack of wooden crates. When the day dawned, she was sailing towards her homeland in a smuggling ship. Well hidden from the world but not from her own misery. She had nothing to eat except mustard seeds. She reached Madras and her child was born. She was named Jaya (victory). Dora had won.

Madras 1945 A man walked on the streets of Royapettah. He looked every inch a beggar. He was covered in black soot. His hair was dry and messed up. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in months. He staggered towards a tiny house on the street corner. He knocked on the door. Dora opened the door. Her husband had arrived. They had won. Again.

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POETRY

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Deeksha Rawat YMCA New Delhi #ChildSexualAbuse

IT HAPPENED TO ME

It took a lot of courage for me to write this, something which I had kept in my heart for many years — my stories of child sexual abuse. It began when I was seven...

his is perhaps one of the most difficult stories for me to write. It isn’t easy for me to this into so many words… those ugly moments, when a child suffered, when innocence was crushed and when effects of sexual abuse penetrated far beyond childhood. As I write this story, with moist eyes and self-guilt in my heart, not one but several incidents flashin front of my eyes, extending dizziness over my mind. These incidents belong to the time period when I was seven or eight, or maybe nine too, it was an ugly phase but an eye opener to the brutality and the sickness of the world. I write here not for sympathy but to convey that the evil of sexual abuse of children is far more prevalent in society than we think it is. Years ago, when I was seven, it happened for the first time. One evening, while the clock struck eight, I was trying my best to avoid my mom’s eyes when I had to go to the nearest stationery store to get a five rupee glue to complete my homework. I succeeded in the first attempt and was on my way. Just about 30 metres from the shop, I was stopped by a stranger on a motor bike, who asked me for a 100 rupee change. Embarrassed as I didn’t have any, I planned to walk away but he interrupted me again. This time he wanted to know the way to my school. All of a sudden, he pulled me on to the bike forcibly and began to drive like a most-wanted criminal. The moment he took a wrong turn, I was reminded of all those kidnapping scenes from the daily soaps I saw with mom. I was kidnapped. The thoughts that came to my head was that my dad is neither too rich nor a minister to have enemies. The next thing I remember is that I was locked in a filthy room. Him and me. While I cried like a crazy person, sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, I watched him unzip. I still remember my first thought was that he would pee over me. Poor innocent girl could not have known better. What came next were some of the most horrible visuals of my life. As

he did things to himself, he explained to me in Hindi what it was all about. The most disgusting words that ever entered my ears which I hesitantly quote here were “Isse **** kehtehain, tere papa ke paas bhi ho gana”. Busy in breathless endless sobbing, I couldn’t hear himany more. For a seven year old, it was a bloody big nightmare. I shouted as he forcibly kissed me, bit me, scratched me but no one heard. Not even the walls. For some unknown reasons God finally decided to save me, and he took me out on the bike again. This time I jumped off, got hurt, but somehow rushed back home. The stitches on my chin still remind me of that awful incident. It was a big achievement for the seven-year-old girl – to come back home without getting raped. But I was shaken to the core and wept secretively for days that followed. I never told my family and I don’t want them to read this story. That was not all but just the start. Many more abuses were still to follow. They had to come from the knowns now. I pity the fact that I could never realise what my best friend’s elder brother wanted of me. I was eight and he was 17. Another unfortunate night brought light to his intentions. That night in the park, when almost everyone had left, he made me sit over him on the swing, and in a couple of minutes I saw him pulling down his zip. The already once suffered girl in me sensed the danger out of the past experience. But the power of his suppressing hand was way more than that of my vocal cords. That helpless moment. Me, an eight-year-old, lying on the muddy ground, getting choked with a hand that covered my nose and mouth, pain of a robust body pressed hard against me, lying at the mercy of a devil who happened to be one among the trusted. Innocence bled with another cut. It seemed to me that child abuse is never ending. Just a month past this, my 18-year-old neighbour devised a new way to play cricket. He, the only adult, in our cricket

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team with an average age of 10, used to hit the ball out of anyone. Just my parents and my God. But then, when I was the premises of the house, which everyone considered to nine, even my trust on God started to shake, as I was forcbe his cricketing talent. While all kids went out searching ibly kissed and mishandled by an ashram man within the for the ball, he harassed me back home. My face used to ashram premises, someone my parents trusted deeply. As I swell up within minutes. His smell, as I can clearly recall, grew up more, I did make new friends, but with them came was so scary. I hated his presence around me. This went on more ugly events. My new best friend’s father, a neighbour for a few days until I started making excuses to my friends of ours, used to harass me though I was the same age as his convincing them not to play cricket. I hated cricket. I hated daughter. He hugged me for no reason, often accompanied him. I hated myself. Telling my by weird and uncomfortable body mom was never an option, she movements, pulled my body parts When I grew up and got to know would not have believed me, or so brutally that I cried of pain. I she would have beaten me up, from my science book of how things feared going to my own best maybe. I grew quiet with the friend’s home. I could not tell this actually go about, I felt disgusted. course of time, unlike the other Suddenly, it felt like a video record to my family or theirs, considerkids. ing the healthy relations the two playing at the back of my mind. I Then one day, as I shared. knew nothing back then, but now I played in the park with another I could never completely good friend who was 10, a courecover from those events, though do. I was exploited, I was harassed, ple of guys came and told us to I did forget them for a couple I was cheated of trust, and I was come along with them, in name of years and that’s when a little cheated of morality. They continue peace prevailed. When I grew up of gurudwara. Yes, the holygurudwara. When we reached, it and got to know from my science to haunt me even now, when I am was just half constructed and book of how things actually go almost turning 20. the guys took us to a semi-conabout, I felt disgusted. Suddenly, My ugliest memories structed room. They did nothit felt like a video record playing ing to me, not a single touch. at the back of my mind. I knew But the older girl suffered, sufnothing back then, but now I do. fered rather horribly. Oral penetration was what I saw and I was exploited, I was harassed, I was cheated of trust, and I vomited out of disgust. Series of such incidents had got I was cheated of morality. They continue to haunt me even me too weak, I froze standing in a corner still breathing now, when I am almost turning 20. My ugliest memories. in those ugly times, silently praying to God. She did shout I am not alone many others lost their innocence and protest, only to get beaten and get her hair pulled. Be- to child abuse. The story behind their tears, still unknown. fore they left us back, they said “Mummy ko bola to phir le When would this end? Have ethics lost the battle in this jaenge aur wapas bhi nahi layenge”. I never saw her again, new era? Children are next to Gods, my mom told me. maybe she told at her home and got banished to the four Then why do Indians, the God-fearing people rape the little walls of her room or maybe they took her away like they Gods? said. My life seemed gloomier than ever. I could not trust

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