forms, these girls brave theheat filling up their forms at Delhi
University on Wednesday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Many colleges offer a number of extra-curricular activities
Can you count the number of times you have heard the words "Delhi
University" and "90 per cent" together? Most people in the age bracket
of 17 years and 19 years applying for admissions cannot.
These people also feel the school they just left behindwith its
super-competitive basketball games, even more competitive choir
competitions and umpteenother activities that once defined their whole
existence, is lost forever. They are wrong.
"We have the debating society, the English literary society, the fine
arts society, the hiking club, thephotography society, the wildlife
society and a history society among many others. All these societies
have a staff advisor and the remaining members are students," said St.
Stephen's College teacher Karen Gabrielle.
She added that their winter fest, their annual Shakespeare stage
production and the annual music competition was something the students
looked forward to every year.
"Throughout the year there is always something going on, there are no
restrictions for any studenton the number of activitiesbut there is so
much going on in each society that a student can manage a maximum of
four," she said.
St. Stephen's College has itsown admission procedure that is set apart
from the university. Its application form asks whether you have any
interest in a particular activity but thereis no separate ECA quota.
However, this can work to your advantage.
"Every student is welcome to any activity, provided there is some sort
of demonstrative skill and instinct in the student," said Ms.
Gabrielle.
Ramjas College is, however,most proud of its debating team.
"Our debating society has been winning constantly atalmost every
inter-college debate for the past five years. It is the most popular
activity among ourstudents," said Cultural Coordinator and Botany
teacher Madhumitha Banerjee, who added that they had an extra
curricular activities (ECA) quota that required concrete proof of past
achievements to be eligibleto apply in addition to passing the college
trials.
However, she said that there are plenty of opportunities for students
with no background in the any of the college's popular activities like
music, dramatics and debate among others.
" Some of our best students in the past who have won several
competitions for us, have been those who have never taken part in
anything in school," she said, adding that the college will be taking
auditions for several activities within a few weeks into the new term
and that the interested student must remain alert for dates and such.
Another college that does not have an ECA quota is the Shri Ram
College of Commerce which, they say,works to the advantage of the
student as everybody is at an equal footing and eligible to compete.
"The dramatic festival, 'Histrionica,' with its series of stage and
street plays is a big hit every year. The 'Shri Ram Debating Festival'
is another traditional event with Parliamentary, spot and conventional
debates. This goes back several years and usually happens around
February," said Cultural Co-ordinator and English professor S. K.
Choudhury.
"However, since we are a commerce college we havespecific events like
the annual college festival, 'cross-routes' which has a week-long
business conclave where industry leaders speak and there are business
quizzes and games." The college's commerce and economics societies are
the most coveted as are the foreign programmes that allow students to
travel to countries like Japan, Australia and the Netherlands to
compete.
Miranda House, with a hostof activities like debate, dramatics and
fine arts has an ECA quota and the last date of applying being June 30
by 1 p.m.
"The trials will be held on July 4 and 5, with admissions scheduled
for July 6 and 7," said PrincipalPrathiba Jolly.
ECA and sports forms are being sold in almost every college of the
university, save a few that do not have quotas.
Sale of forms dips
With only five more days to go, the sale of application forms at Delhi
University dipped to 5,000 on Wednesday. The last date for applying is
June 18.
"This is not counting onlinesales of 4,000 forms," said Dean of
Students' Welfare Prof. J.M. Khurana, adding that over all online
sales sofar had touched 22,000.
Interestingly, ever since the sale of application forms opened on June
4, more than one lakh copies have been sold for the 54,000 seats that
are available in the university.