Covid 19 Archives - DU Times

Resumption of offline classes will be discussed at JNU, DU, and Jamia.

Sanya Gaba — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 08:22:24 +0000

After Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Friday that colleges can reopen on September 1, the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University, and Jamia Millia Islamia will convene internal meetings to discuss the resumption of academic activity.
Following the university’s announcement earlier this month that it will hold physical lessons for Science stream students due to a decrease in coronavirus incidence, a group of professors expressed their discontent with the university’s decision to summon students to campus.

The university eventually postponed its decision, citing the fact that the Delhi Disaster Management Authority had not given any recommendations on campus reopening, according to DU registrar Vikas Gupta.

Mr. Gupta stated on Friday, in response to the Delhi government’s recent declaration that schools and institutions will be able to resume on September 1, that “We have an executive council meeting scheduled for August 31, following which we will arrange and hold a meeting. From September 1, we won’t be able to resume. We will open for Science students initially whenever we open.”

Due to Covid, Delhi University has been closed since March of last year, but in February of this year, final year students were allowed to return to their campuses to use labs and take practical lectures. However, because of the second Covid wave, courses were again suspended in April.

Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University stated the administration will consider the subject internally soon it receives an official order.

“As an educational institution, we will follow whatever instructions the government issues regarding Covid. Our students are dispersed around the country, and some may still be living in areas affected by the pandemic. We’ll give them some time to get back to us. We will discuss and plan after the government order is issued so that students are not inconvenienced “Prof. Kumar stated the following.

The university’s students’ union has been pushing for a phased reopening of campus. After a long hiatus owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools, universities, and coaching institutes in the national capital will resume on September 1.

The decision was made in light of a significant improvement in the COVID-19 situation in Delhi following a recent harsh second wave of the virus that claimed many lives, with a lack of oxygen in hospitals across the city compounding the problem.

According to a Jamia Millia Islamia official, the educational institute will wait for UGC recommendations before deciding on the commencement of physical education lessons.

“Our decision-making bodies, the Academic Council and Executive Council, as well as all stakeholders, will consider the reopening of campus. We’ll also wait for the University of Georgia’s instructions on the subject,” he said.

“We have a lot of kids from Kerala, where a lot of coronavirus cases have been recorded, so we’ll have to wait and watch. We might not be able to open hostels because we need to make sufficient meals and other arrangements,” he added.

The Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and the Ambedkar University have stated that they will abide by the official order and all recommendations. A plan of action would be drawn out in the consultation, according to an official from Ambedkar University.

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Rise of the Hallyu aka Korean wave

Sanya Gaba — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 17:29:00 +0000

According to The Korean Times, there has been an increase in K-drama viewership during the lockdown, making India one of the top six countries contributing to K-pop and drama views. The Indian fascination with Korean food, language and culture among K-fans of all ages is a major result of the K-drama craze. For many years, K-pop and K-dramas have been popular subcultures among the people of India. They, along with other cultural exports from the country, are part of the Hallyu cultural wave in Korea. Hallyu, or the Korean wave, has been around for a while, but with increased Internet and OTT platform access in India, particularly during pandemics that give people more time to explore foreign cultures and content, it has seen a boom like never before. The subculture commanded a niche audience in India.

It inspired students and young people in India’s north-eastern states, but the situation changed when Netflix began pushing to bring South Korean content to the world.

Based on the impact and power of ‘Hallyu,’ the government desired to make K-pop known around the world. Recognizing that Hallyu can be used as potential “soft power,” South Korea’s Ministry of Culture established a separate division for K-pop. It is marketed as a tool for educating the rest of the world about South Korean culture and increasing tourism. Korea made revenue of approx. 11.6 billion dollars in 2017 from the Kpop business, out of which a 5 billion-dollar contribution was by BTS (BangTan Boys) alone!

K-pop and K-dramas

PSY’s viral single ‘Gangnam Style’ from 2012 was unquestionably influential in introducing K-pop to a vast majority of Indians. The reach of ‘Gangnam Style’ back in the day couldn’t be matched; simply hearing the first strains of the song, people of all ages were able to gallop on the floor and loudly mouth the catchphrase “Oppa Gangnam Style!”

Names of international phenomena such as ‘BTS’ and ‘Blackpink’ were already well-known in India prior to the pandemic, but the Hallyu wave enlightened us on various groups and genres. In the last three months, India has risen several notches to become one of the top three countries contributing to YouTube music-video views of Kpop bands such as BTS and BLACKPINK. There are many other groups such as EXO, (G)I-DLE, Red Velvet, Mamamoo, Treasure, and so on, and each of these groups has a different concept and sends an inspiring message with each album or single release.

The gap between Korean artists and Bollywood singers is closing day by day. Recently, Bollywood singer Armaan Malik, Korean-American artist Eric Nam, and music producer KSHMR collaborated on their single “Echo,” which has received worldwide acclaim.

One of the main reasons Kpop bands have such a large fan base is due to their clever use of social media. Some bands have even produced their own reality television shows. The show ‘Blackpink House’ depicts the daily life of the leading female k-pop band Blackpink. BTS also has its own online variety show, Run BTS!, and a film, Burn The Stage. Other groups like Treasure has T.Map. it is a way to show more content to their fans and is a way to connect with them.

Netflix India has recently acknowledged the rising popularity of Korean dramas in the country. A new video was also released in collaboration with influencers Supriya Joshi and Krutika, explaining how and why these shows have captured the audience’s attention. South Korean dramas have had unexpected success on streaming services in India, prompting many Indians to learn Korean. During the coronavirus lockdown, Crash Landing on You beat several domestic hits and made it to Netflix’s top 10 in India.

A Netflix k-drama that gained popularity during the pandemic.

Korean food.

According to Euromonitor, “the rise in viewership of Korean content and the popularity of K-pop music may mean a new and thriving business opportunity for Korean packaged food brands in India.”

KARD, being one of the biggest names in the Korean pop industry underestimated India’s growing love for Korean culture while touring in India for its maiden concert as the response was mind-boggling. However, entrepreneur Seo Young Doo already had some future plans rolled up his sleeve. Young Doo launched an online venture called Korikart, which entailed Korean beauty, skincare, food, fashion, home and kitchen products in December 2018.

Some particular dishes like- ramyun (Korean spicy noodles), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mandu (dumplings), kimchi and soju (alcohol). has become widely popular as they are recurring elements across dramas.

Korikart: A website created by Soo young Duo

Korea’s Beauty Standards

South Koreans are extremely self-conscious about their appearance. If you look at any Kpop band, the artists will look like porcelain dolls with perfect features. Koreans are known for their outward beauty.

To specifically talk about Korean cosmetics, according to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight, about 39% of Indian women stated that their skincare routine consisted of 25% of K-beauty products. About 3% of surveyed women in India said that all their skincare products were from Korean brands. Seo Young Doo has also stated that they have noticed the popularity of Korean drama and K-pop in India, and their experiment with Korean cosmetics gave us good feedback from the customers.

Kpop stars have also served as brand ambassadors for the Korean fashion industry, which is regarded as one of the most influential in the world, with BTS serving as the ambassador for Louis Vuitton and Blackpink’s Jennie serving as the brand ambassador for Chanel, among many others.

Challenges

K-pop groups, primarily boy bands, are known for their gender-incompatible clothing styles, porcelain skin, and lavish makeup for heterosexual masculinity. People frequently make unfair comparisons between this type of music, but they should understand that it is simply broadening horizons and exploring what is not available to me within my boundaries. They must respect and value what exists and coming their way.

Another undeniable reason is India’s long history of systemic racism and the diversity of its people, particularly in the northeastern states. During a pandemic, the virus is commonly known as the “Chinese virus.” Harassment and hate crimes are on the rise in the Northeast.

The hatred stems from the misunderstanding that K-pop is superficial; it’s simply a group of more beautiful people dancing to vibrant music videos. Racism stirs confusion and discourages people from seeking more information. This is unfortunate because the moment you decide to open your heart, a whole new world of complex, meaningful, and powerful art opens up before you.

The sudden rise

K-drama veterans from India will recall seeing advertisements from unknown foreign brands while binge-watching their favourite Korean title on Rakuten Viki, a Korean-drama-dominated streaming platform based in the United States.

Between October 2019 and February of 2020, Rakuten Viki’s overall traffic from India decreased by 3 per cent. However, according to ET’s analysis of estimated data available on web analytics firm SimilarWeb, site traffic increased by 36% in the month of March to 1,102,000 hits, and by 46% over the last six months to 1,598,000 hits.

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DU- entrance based courses likely to begin registration from mid july

DU Times — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:45:14 +0000

The Delhi University is likely to begin registrations for admission to entrance test-based and postgraduate courses in the third week of July, at least a week prior to starting the process for the remaining merit-based undergraduate courses, a senior official said on Monday. The Supreme Court had on June 24 directed all state boards to declare the internal assessment results of Class 12 by July 31 and gave them 10 days to formulate and notify their evaluation schemes.

Rajeev Gupta, chairman, DU admissions, told PTI , “We might start the registration process (for admissions) by the third week of July. There are chances that we might start the registration process for the nine entrance-based courses and postgraduate courses by that time in the first phase and then the registration process for the merit-based courses. The gap between the two phases won’t be more than a week or 10 days.”

He, however, said there is a possibility that all state boards may not declare Class 12 results by July 31.

The admission process was entirely conducted online last year in view of the coronavirus pandemic and students did not have to visit colleges or departments at all.

Students used online platforms for the admission process, accessing the admission list, payment of fees etc. from the comfort of their homes, the university said, adding that the verification of documents was also done online.

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NEET, JEE main 2021- suspense on the rise among students

DU Times — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 02:58:03 +0000

With the postponement of different national entrance exams, the examinations of many state boards across the country were also canceled.

After national level tests like JEE, NEET, and CLAT, among others, were postponed, now, preparations are being made to conduct examinations for admission in engineering, medical and other courses.

According to sources, the NEET 2021 can be shifted to September . However, a final decision in this regard is yet to be taken and the Ministry is in process of reviewing the COVID-19 situation across states and UTs.

Let’s dive in for the latest updates regarding these National Entrance Tests-

NEET- ( National eligibility cum entrance test) it is held for admission in medical colleges across the country, and currently, there is talk of postponing the NEET UG 2021 for the time being. Till now the government has not given any clear decision regarding this. This examination is to be conducted on August 1.

With no recent announcements, students now want to know if NEET will be held as per the schedule announced earlier.
“It is almost confirmed that NEET 2021 is going to be postponed. In 1 month it is not possible to complete all process of form fill up,” said Nitesh Bhakar.

Apart from this, the latest update regarding the engineering entrance exam JEE Main is that the Union Education Ministry is hoping to conduct the remaining two phases of the engineering entrance exam JEE Main 2021 in July and August. According to a report in Aaj Tak, a final decision in this regard is yet to be taken as the ministry is in the process of reviewing the COVID-19 situation.

As of now, the date of JEE Main exam has not changed. According to the fixed date sheet, this exam will be held on July 17, 2021. The results of the same will be announced on August 14. Notably, the exam was to be held earlier in April but was postponed due to the second wave of COVID-19.

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‘Confidential result’ option now available for DU students

DU Times — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 04:23:40 +0000

Delhi University (DU) students applying for further studies or jobs will now be able to get their “confidential result” online before the official declaration, the university has said in a notification.

Dean Examinations D S Rawat said the process had been “streamlined” to make it more effective.

To apply online, students will need to submit an application that should “clearly mention the reason of requirement of confidential result”, along with the “offer letter that indicates the requirement of result”. They will also need to submit the copy of each semester’s marksheet, admit card, and fee receipt of Rs 500.

Rawat said DU would “try” to issue such results by the end of July. “We have asked students to request their institutions to extend the date of submission of result, given the unusual circumstances due to the pandemic. But if it doesn’t work out, I am willing to write to them as Dean Examinations, and request the same,” he said.

The whole process has been made online. There is no need for students to visit their colleges. The last date for applying is July 3, and for principals to forward it to the university, the deadline is July 6. We did this as last year we had issued around 650 confidential results, but received 4-5 times the number of applications, many of them with incomplete details. This delays the whole process,” said Rawat.

In the notification further read , “Generally it takes 2-3 months’ time to complete the evaluation and declare the result, so students are advised to request the concerned universities/institutions to extend the date of submission of result. Students are advised to talk only to the Nodal Officers of the respective colleges regarding confidential result or result related queries.”

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