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Fighting their biggest battle

It is the biggest battle for the next generation. And the horrific implication of female foeticide on the future is not lost on Delhi University. Looking at the issue seriously, the University is organising a two-day seminar beginning Thursday on "Vanishing Daughters: Gender Imbalance in Contemporary India".

"There have been smaller initiatives taken up earlier. But the seminar is being done at the University level. The idea to organise a seminar that will involve the whole University was put forward by Vice-Chancellor Deepak Pental. The idea was to bring in more than just one college,'' says Nilima Srivastava, Reader at the Women Studies and Development Centre.

A step to involve the student community, the seminar has been planned by the University with care so that students get a taste of the academic debate, practical problems in implementing the law, and, more importantly, the dangers of female foeticide. Bringing together experts on the subject from various fields, the idea is to give students a glimpse of the issue in all its complexity.

The speakers at the event range from Union Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Choudhary to CPI (M) Member of Parliament Brinda Karat. The academic community will be represented by Alpana Sagar, who has done a lot of work on girl children in Delhi's slums and will present the findings at the seminar.

The seminar will also have a section for students to get hooked to the issue through popular culture. There will be a street-play by girls of Miranda House and, of course, film screenings.

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The Executive Council meeting of Delhi University held on Wednesday had a few "important" issues raised by the Democratic Teachers' Front. The elected DTF member Barkatullah Khan raised the issue about "de-linking" the Delhi College of Engineering and other institutions to convert them into deemed universities. This could pave the way for privatisation, he pointed out.

The other issue raised was that no action was taken against the teacher who had allegedly been found guilty of sexual harassment at Dyal Singh College. Dr. Khan emphasised that this amounted to a denial of justice to the victim who has already gone through two separate processes of inquiry - first by the Inquiry Committee constituted by the Dyal Singh College Governing Body which found the accused teacher guilty, and then by the Apex Committee of the University constituted under the Ordinance on Sexual Harassment.

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United Students might have lost out on a seat in the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU), but it is trying to build up support among students by raising issues. The organisation recently demanded that a shuttle bus service be introduced on the North and South campuses. Members of United Students have petitioned the Delhi Transport Minister to start the service to provide students a simple way of commuting within the campus and to and fro bus and Metro stations.

Ritwik Agarwal, team leader of the intra-campus transport committee of United Students, said: "Two hundred cycle rickshaws, each fighting for road space, fighting for customers, fighting over money is hardly a sight you want to see in India's finest university campus."

-- Mandira Nayar

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