The Navratri, energy across Delhi University is more than garba-dandiya dance as women power is yet again being celebrated on campus. In an empowering spin to mark the nine nights that honour Goddess Durga, the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) has brought back its flagship initiative by handing over the reins to nine female students, one each day, throughout the nine days of the festivities. But, there’s more.
“We didn’t want to stop at just the president’s chair this time. So we’ve brought in role cross-over for secretary and joint secretary posts too,” informs DUSU President Yash Dabas, adding, “This will enable girl students to get a real shot at stepping up, taking charge, and leading from the front. We’re hoping that it will go a long way in further pushing the idea of empowering female students on campus.”
Sharing how they chose these one-day nayikas, Dabas says, “We looked across the board—sports, arts, dance, extracurriculars as we wanted students who’ve already made a name for themselves in their own fields to come on board for this initiative. We want them to look at how things work, and actually pitch policies that can make things better in the university.”
As expected, women’s safety remained at the very top of the agenda for the two students who presided over the president’s chair on the first two days of the Navratri. On Day 1, Deepika Chaudhary, a final-year BA student at Vivekananda College, played the DUSU president’s part. A creative writer and a budding kabaddi player from Bijnor (UP), Chaudhary had casually filled out the application form never expecting to wake up as DUSU president one day. “After applying, when I was told I got selected, it felt like I was made the Prime Minister or Chief Minister,” she laughs, adding, “I was getting calls from friends on campus and family back home, and everyone was tagging me on social media, so it felt like becoming an overnight star!”
But like it’s known that with great power comes great responsibility, once the initial excitement settled in, Chaudhary got down to work on issues that have been her top priority. “The first agenda on my list was to look into the women’s safety on campus. I went to PGs in North Campus to discuss their issues related to women’s safety because that is a very crucial issue on campus right now. I then discussed it directly with the current DUSU president.”
Day 2 brought a whole new aesthetic and vibe as Rekha Terme, a second-year master’s student in Political Science, took the seat. Hailing from the Northeastern state of Assam, Terme showed up in stunning traditional attire of her hometown, and used her platform to highlight both representation and campus culture. “Representing thousands of students at a university like DU was huge,” she says, adding, “Wearing my traditional dress was my way of taking my home state along with me to the DUSU president’s desk.”
Terme recounts how she went straight into campus action, and adds, “I went to Miranda House to discuss their issues and was told how weak Wi-Fi was hampering their study routine. We’re working on it to resolve the issue. Also, it’s known that there is racial discrimination for North East girls on campus, and safety also been an issue for almost every girl from this community. So we made and submitted a memorandum to the Delhi Police as our effort to help build a stronger support system and safety net on campus.”
