This story is from July 20, 2018

Students weather a stormy Day 1 at Delhi University

Students weather a stormy Day 1 at Delhi University
Bonding time: Freshers get to know each other at a South Campus college
NEW DELHI: At Sri Venkateswara College in south Delhi, students walked gingerly towards the gate on Friday morning, avoiding as best they could the muddy rainwater and sewage flowing past the narrow stretch blocked by vehicles. All the care they had taken to dress to impress on their first day in college was undone by the weather. But there, as in most colleges of Delhi University, Friday was a momentous day of exploration for the newest batch of students.

“We got here at 8.30am thinking we had to attend classes,” said Manya Tanwar, a BA (P) student, at Sri Venkateswara. “We had diligently copied the timetable yesterday and were prepared for classes today. But now that we have found out that we won’t have studies, we will enjoy the rain and make new friends.”
Kamala Nehru College also held no classes and the volunteers manning the registration desk sent students away after completing their Day One formalities. “Without classes, there is no point in them hanging around,” said one of the volunteers. So we helped them around the college and then sent them home.”
Students who did spend time in their colleges were welcomed with warmth by the administration. Teachers and seniors students took time out to speak to them and orient them with the colleges. At Maitreyi Colleges, Taruna Sharma, a Sanskrit (H) student, gushed, “I am really excited to acquaint myself with my college. I have already made a couple of friends and though the college was not how I expected it to be, it definitely is better than school.”
The first day in Gargi College too was given to familiarising the new students with culture societies and extracurricular activities offered in the institution. “The cultural scene seems very exciting here and I am sure my daughter will be happy,” confided Seema, a parent who had come to the college with her daughter from Bengaluru.
Lady Shri Ram College conducted a cultural programme for the awed freshers that was followed by a tour of the campus. “The cultural function was amazing. We saw a great dance performance and a play on what a student gets when she starts life at LSR,” said Akanksha Satija, an English (H) student.

The colleges were especially warm to those who had left their homes to travel to the capital, many of them for the first time. “I am from Kolkata and wanted to study in Delhi,” said Anvesha Modak, who had got admission into the English (H) course at Jesus and Mary College. “I’ve heard a lot about DU and the societies. I feel the teachers are friendlier and more approachable than in Kolkata.”
At Miranda House, seniors conducted special orientation sessions for the freshers. Urvi Singhal, a second-year economics student, explained that their aim was to “break the ice” and to inform the new students about the college, the societies and the clubs. “What we did was to clear their doubts and make them feel comfortable,” she added.
In Hanraj, Rama Sharma, the principal, said the college had given the newcomers the opportunity to entertain the students in the auditorium. “The idea was to see how talented our newly inducted students are,” Sharma said.
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