100 full scholarships announced for the Batch of 2019–22
Gahena Gambani, Class of 2020
Ashoka University has always maintained that it “endeavours to provide necessary financial support” to students who require it. This can mean two things: offering partial aid, which covers portions of the tuition costs for the three/four years spent here, or full aid, which covers all costs incurred as a part of the program. Close to half of the undergraduate student body attends Ashoka on some amount of financial aid. This aid is strictly need based and is distributed across recipients at the discretion of the Office of Financial Aid.
It seems this endeavour to enable students from various socio-economic backgrounds to study at Ashoka, has deepened with the introduction of 100 full-scholarships for the Batch of 2019–22. According to a statement from the Office, “This will include all scholarships, from a 100% waiver on Tuition up to a full waiver on all costs.” These scholarships will remain need-based, keeping with the Office’s philosophy of “making [Ashoka’s] world-class education affordable for students from all walks of life.”
This move comes not long after the introduction of a monthly stipend of Rs. 3000 for students on exceptional aid. This stipend covers living costs, over and above all the costs of the Ashoka program, for a period of 10 months each academic year. Further, it was only in January 2018 that the administration changed its stance on minimum academic requirements for students on financial aid.
These appreciable attempts also draw attention to the implications they might have for the diversity on campus. Even though Ashoka has admitted growing throngs of students each year, the criticism of it being a campus for the privileged still persists. The claim of increasing diversity may seem counterintuitive since arguably large groups of students are admitted from the same schools across the country in each batch. As of now, the range of people occupying this 25-acre piece of land is still frighteningly small. Perhaps, an increase in the number of scholarships could impact change in the currently limited range of places/schools from which students are admitted.
Having exactly 100 full scholarships raises the question — how many partial scholarships will now be distributed? Subsequently, how many students are to be accepted to the batch of 2022 — does Ashoka wish to admit more than the already large batch of 500 newcomers it welcomed this year? Is this related to the construction of the new campus, scheduled at the earliest for 2021? How does the administration intend to fit over a thousand students on a campus that is smaller than some schools in Delhi?
Finally, the question that some might say should have been the first one — where does this money come from? Even though Ashoka received an anonymous donation of Rs. 100 crore earlier this year, it cannot be assumed that all financial tremors ended there. With the cost of running the campus only increasing with new inhabitants; the construction of a new library, residence hall and an entirely new campus are still underway, the announcement of new scholarships is definitely something to think about.
They keep record of those who go off campus, but do they monitor those who come in?
Gahena Gambani, Class of 2020
With students waiting with bated breath for the official declaration of the impending curfew, there has been a general sense of reservation about moving out of campus, especially during the late night hours. The administration is surely taking interest in keeping track of those going off campus, but there seems to be a lack of similar interest in those coming inside, which has become evident after Ashoka had a surprise visitor a few days back.
While this definitely makes for an interesting visitor, the reasons for his visit are unknown at the time of publishing.
This is the second in a two-part piece about the various food outlets on campus and the problems they face. Read the first part here.
Ankit bhaiya, the owner of the Ashoka outlet of Chicago Pizza, talked to us about a certain problem that seems prevalent for all eateries in the sports block food court — that of space constraint. Students often have to sit on the ground, and Vijay, the founder of Dosai also shared an incident of having to ask some students to vacate a few seats for a professor and his students. Vijay and Ankit bhaiyya, mentioned that they would appreciate if the administration could arrange for seating immediately outside the sports bock, which could also double up as a hangout spot for students.
For the ‘real South Indian cuisine’ cravings: Dosai | Picture by: Caperture
In fact, Samundar ji, owner of Rasananda — the juice bar, had asked the former head of dining and food outlets to allot the adjacent shop to him, for a bit more space. Items are regularly stolen from his shop, as he doesn’t has enough space to keep everything locked, leading to large, unnecessary losses. Tired of their lack of communication and negligence, he stopped requesting the admin. However, when the old head of dining left Ashoka, he went to the admin and this time Deboshruti Roychowdhury, the Dean of Student Affairs, assured him that he will be granted the adjacent space. Samundar ji is really hopeful that his requests will be considered this time.
Samundar Ji of Rasananda Juice Bar | Picture by: Caperture
However, those are not all the problems faced by the juice bar. Samundar Ji strongly believes that the Rs. 4000 that he pays as rent is proportionately more than what Chicago Pizza pays. Chicago Pizza is almost twice as big as the Juice Bar, and it pays merely Rs. 5000 as rent. Other eateries in the sports block — Chicago Pizza and Dosai — have started selling different kinds of juices and ice creams, which were the majorly selling items of Rasananda, further diminishing his profits He said that while starting his outlet, he had been assured that no other eatery would have the same menu as his, but now that’s not the case, which is unfair.
Kuldeep Antil, the rather famous owner of the Dhaba, has his own peculiar problems. The outdoor location becomes really problematic for him during monsoons, the bare ground turns into muddy puddles and his business is affected, . He repeatedly mentions that people slip often, and he’s worried anyone can get seriously hurt someday.. He had talked to Sachin Sharma, the registrar of Ashoka, about laying a layer of concrete on the bare ground. He was told that it would ruin the aesthetics of the campus if he did it himself, but the admin did nothing about it themselves. He also said that many admin members and professors eat at the dhaba regularly, and he could have talked to them easily. But he feels that no one will hear him, so he doesn’t say anything to them.
There is also the issue of the administration’s varying attitudes towards different outlets. Several owners feel the admin is biased towards The Hunger Cycle, because it is owned by a YIF alumnus. Further, Vijay, of Dosai, when asked if it was easy for him to set up an outlet here, said that he did get a lot support from the administration for being an alumnus. They were more willing to address his issues and concerns than they probably would have been otherwise. But it isn’t the alumni bias that concerns the eatery owners much. Many of them, hesitantly, told us that THC is in a more favorable position than most of the other eateries. It has a prime location and doesn’t needs to worry about seating as they use the mess chairs and tables. It must also be that noted Soumit, the owner of THC, never attends the meetings between the owners and the admin.
Vijay, especially, was very vocal about his concerns regarding this pertinent bias towards THC and ICS owned eateries. “They even have people cleaning up their tables for free!” he exclaimed, referring to the cleaners in the mess. He mentioned that the new Foodies may also be getting ‘special attention’ from the administration, as they have many workers who were earlier working with ICS. Vijay also thinks that this bias towards ICS owned eateries and THC could be attributed more to the friendly relationship they have with the vendors, than the desire for a share in their profits.
Amidst all these talks about their problems, all the owners agreed that the support they have received from the student body, and especially the Student Government has been immense. Shaina, owner of Hazelnut, which as old as as this campus, has different problems with the admin. She is the only woman who owns a food eatery on campus. In a rather vigorous manner , she spoke about her experiences of harassment at Ashoka. The former head of dining, had been rude and spoken to her in a condescending manner on more than one occasion. She thanked Arush Pande and Deep Vakil from the student government, who helped her share her concerns with the admin, and solve the problems she faced. Sandeep Bhaiya too, was all praise for the Student Government, even statinng that had it not been for the Student Government’s efforts, he would have left Ashoka two years ago. He thanked not one, but all the Student Governments formed at Ashoka, for hearing out and solving his problems. He feels that it is for their efforts that Fuel Zone seeks to continue serving the students as it has done till now.
Perfect drink for any time: chai from the Dhabha | Picture by: Caperture
The problems of the eateries need a solution. They have been struggling for a long time, yet serving us with a smile. The term ‘ Ashokan’ generally only refers to only the students at Ashoka. But all these workers in these eateries, and their owners spend a major chunk of their 24 hours with us. All of them are Ashokans too. Sandeep Bhaiya regularly takes part in the Ashoka Premier League and helped us when demonetization pestered us in our Ashokan bubble. Kuldeep Bhaiya’s smile and his famous “Aur bata”, brings a smile to our faces even when as we struggle to prevent crumbling under the workload at Ashoka. They are Ashokans in every sense of the term. Generations of students will come, and generations of students will go. But these outlets are the part of the culture of Ashoka. They will stay as long as these red brick walls.
Payal Somani (Class of 2021), Md. Faiz (Class of 2021) and Gaurav Nandan Tripathi (Class of 2020)
This is the first of a two-part piece about the various food outlets on campus and the problems they face.
Food has always been a popular topic of conversation in public and private spheres of Ashoka. Most arguments are aimed at describing the terrible quality of mess food. However, in an attempt to describe the lack of appeal around mess food, we take for granted the existence of a major component of Ashokan cuisine: the food outlets on campus. Keeping all debates in favour of and against mess food aside, this article presents to you the state of the food outlets on campus, examines their problems, concerns and the thoughts of the owner of these outlets about Ashoka and Ashokans alike.
When our team asked for an interview with the owners of the different outlets on campus, they were generous enough to leave their busy counters and give us their precious time. The reply to the question of “What do youfeel about the students of Ashoka?” was quite positive. All the owners are happy with the behavior of Ashokans towards them.
Fuel Zone has stood its ground from the start since Ashoka began in 2014. Sandeep Bhaiya, the immensely popular owner of Fuel Zone, feels that serving Ashoka students has been a great experience, because of the bonds which he has built with the students and their generally cooperative nature. He even said that the staff from other eateries have been quite cooperative. While the popularity of their inventive shakes and sandwiches have driven the sizable profit Fuel Zone reportedly earns, the true essence of this outlet’s public appeal is visible in the emotional bonds with students have made with it over time.
Chanchal Bhatti, the owner of the newly opened Foodies says, “I have had a marvelous experience at Ashoka so far. The students here are extremely polite, and this is something I haven’t witnessed even in my own college. They are co-operative, and polite to everyone, right from the owners to servers.” Such a feeling was shared by the owners of different outlets, and Shaina of Hazelnut even went on to say that if it was not for the students, she would have left Ashoka by now.
However, we received mixed responses when we asked if the administration has been cooperative in listening to them and solving the problems they face. Bhatti, when asked if he has faced any problems at Ashoka, answered in the negative. His short time at Ashoka prevented him from giving us a solid answer about administrative cooperation. “I haven’t interacted with them enough to know whether they are helpful or not,” he said.
Midnight caterer: The Hunger Cycle | Picture by: Caperture
The Hunger Cycle is often buzzing even at 2 am with midnight snackers. Started by YIF alumnus Soumit Saha, THC finds the Admin helpful in delivering a wide range to students.
The Supervisor at Chit Chaat, the outlet owned and managed by ICS, also finds no problems with the admin. However, this could be due to the fact that it is managed by ICS, the catering service handling the mess, its issues are always sorted easily by its two appointed managers.
The ICS-owned outlet: Chit Chaat | Picture by: Caperture
But this is not the case with all the eateries. In general, the eateries in the mess block benefit a lot more than the eateries in the sports block, as people are reluctant to walk a long distance for a shake or ice cream — this affects the business in a huge way. This has also led the owners of outlets in the sports block to ask for space in the mess block, but the admin, as usual, wasn’t responsive to their requests.
This is a weekly column summarizing the 10 best questions from the quiz held by the Quizzing Society of Ashoka University on 11th of October.
Q1. “On a typical dark, wet Glasgow night, a bus driver coming off shift came in and ordered a ___. He sent it back to the waiter saying it’s dry. At the time, dad had an ulcer and was enjoying a plate of tomato soup. So he said why not put some tomato soup into the __ with some spices. They sent it back to the table and the bus driver absolutely loved it. He and his friends came back again and again and we put it on the menu.” The origins of which popular dish are being talked about here, on which a play of words has become exceedingly popular in the sporting fraternity over the last year and happened to be the 23rd most common FPL name? Give me the dish and player.
Q2. Keshia “________” Chante is a Canadian singer, songwriter, television personality, actress and philanthropist. She started as a teen star, having released three albums exclusively for Canada. In in 2012 she rose to international prominence hosting BET’s 106 & Park. Chante was given a star on the Brampton Walk of Fame for her achievements in Canadian Music and Film. She grew up with famous rapper Drake in Toronto, with the both having dated during their teenage years — Chante is also said to be his first girlfriend. According to Capital Xtra, Keshia is in news again with her nickname. What is Keshia’s nickname or FITB.
Q3. It’s not that it isn’t in X, it’s just that it doesn’t exist, period. The list goes from one-one hundred twenty three, but skips numbers in between, likely due to various changes in boundaries, closures or mergers. While X does have nine four, but the next closest number is hundred. Based on a map shown in __________, it looks like the accurate location could be Prospect Heights or more likely, Park Slope. A more realistic number to along with X could be seven-seven or seven-eight but that really doesn’t have the same ring to it. Give funda.
Q4. X’s first and only appearance came in The Punisher #1 in May, 2009. The backstory for X is that he drops out of high school to pursue a career in hip-hop. Once he gains popularity he becomes a regular at freestyle battles. After a night at one such performance, X and his bodyguards are seemingly ambushed by the Punisher who kills all of X’s guards. X is then rescued by Barracuda, a childhood friend of X’s, who teams up with him to take the Punisher out. After an intense action sequence, Punisher tells X that he needs to pay a visit to The Parents Music Council so X tells Punisher to tell them “Shady sent ya”. X’s abilities as listed on Marvel’s Wikia are his shooting and ________ skills, the latter being something for which we actually know him. Tell me who is X?
Q5. The term X, a play on words on a substance very commonly found in nature, became viral on social media very recently (August). It originated from a speech given at the 56th Convocation Ceremony of the Indian Institute of Bombay. The speech, given after awarding 3 gold medals and 43 silver medals to IIT Bombay students in various categories, talked about how innovation was the buzzword for the 21st century — but it also talked about how tea could be made using gas from a nearby drainage. This caught the social media’s attention, prompting a flurry of jokes and hashtags on the same. Identify.
Q6. In 1924, the Commonwealth of Virginia gifted Britain a replica of a statue of George Washington, the first president of the United States of America. The statue, crafted by Jean Antoine Houdon, is seen holding a bundle of 13 fasces — which represent the original 13 states of the newly created USA. It is now kept in the heart of London at Trafalgar Square. However, popular legend has it that the statue would have broken a pledge Washington took, while fighting the British in the War of Independence — to avoid that, the US authorities came up with a creative solution. What pledge, and what solution is being talked about?
Q7. CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen created by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai in 2000. Promoted as a physical exercise philosophy and also as a competitive fitness sport, CrossFit is practiced by members of over 13,000 affiliated gyms, roughly half of which are located in the United States. Mumbai-born Dheepesh Bhatt started what is claimed to be India’s first crossfit gym — Crossfit OM Box in Juhu catering to some of the biggest names in the Indian film industry. Bhatt, also known as Shivoham, now works full-time as a celebrity fitness trainer and is known to have helped Aamir Khan achieve his look for Dangal. However we all associate Dheepesh with Bollywood for altogether a different reason. What?
Q8. The first time he did this, he was quizzed about the curious act in 2011, he said — “I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good and well kept! It just came to me spontaneously really — I didn’t plan to do it.” In 2015, he was wiser, having asked the concerned authorities, saying, “I was assured it was not processed. It was gluten free, so I could do it”.
In 2018, he reminisced back. “The first time I’ve done it, it was the sweetest dessert I’ve ever tasted in my life. That experience hopefully I’ll get to taste one more time before I finish my career.” “I had a double portion this year to treat myself.”
Who and what act is being talked about here, something which may earn him the moniker of “GOAT”, but in a different way than it is usually used?
Q9. Tourism, alongside finance, education and arts is one of the major contributions to the city’s economy with $8.8 billion. According to marketing and branding consultant Gordon Hendren, X is responsible for about 5% or $440m of the total income from tourism by representing a lot of city landmarks, the Toronto Raptors and various restaurants and clubs from around the city. For instance, tourists still swarm Joso’s Restaurant in the city after X’s artwork featured it in 2011. Even, politicians have gotten proactive about using X’s brand to attract foreign investment. Toronto City Councillor Michael Thompson described how he used X as a selling point to bring a $147 million tech conference to the city for the next three years. Identify Toronto’s biggest star attraction X.
Q10. After a week of hype and anticipation on the subreddit r/___________, over 350,000 users were banned by random selection — much to shock and dismay of redditors and internet users alike. When it was set up, it was suggested as a part of the merriment that it would be funny if at some point half of the subreddit’s members were randomly banned. The moderators of r/_________ had to get permission from Reddit admins to go through with the ban, and then they had to automate the process. As word of the upcoming ban spread, hundreds of thousands of Reddit users flocked to join r/_____________________ just so they’d have a chance to get ousted. By the time ban day rolled around, over 700,000 users had subscribed — making the culling by far the largest “dusting,” or mass ban, in Reddit history. FITB
Answers:
Chicken Tikka Masala, Mohammed Salah (Chicken Tikka Mo Salah)
2. Keke or Kiki from Drake’s summer hit In My Feelings
3. Brooklyn’s Ninth Ninth Precinct
4. Eminem or Slim Shady
5. Mitrogen, with the substance being Nitrogen and the cheif guest at the convocation being Prime Minister Narendra Modi
6. Washington pledged to never set foot on British soil — soil was flown in from Virginia to be kept under the statue
7. Dheepesh Bhatt played the character of Franky Ramdayal in the movie Kal Ho Na Ho
8.Novak Djokovic, Eating grass off the court
9. Drake
10. r/thanosdidnothingwrong
‘The BEST Quiz Ever’ was hosted by Aryaman Arora, an undergraduate from the class of 2021, on 11th October, 2018.
On 20th July 2018, Ashoka University submitted two reports to the UGC, listing the number of cases filed at the University’s Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) and the action taken by the committee on those cases in the past two years.
Among other things, the reports reveal that only seven cases of sexual harassment were filed with the Committee last year, as well as the year before that.
“The greatest challenge that faces us is underreporting”
In the recent CASH town hall, Professor Nayanjot Lahiri, the newly appointed Chair of Ashoka’s CASH, was quoted as saying, “In the Internal Complaints Committee, the greatest challenge that faces us is underreporting of cases. I do think in Ashoka University, there are a lot of cases which do not get reported.”
The issue of under-reporting renders this whole process futile. There could be a number of reasons behind this: fear of backlash or repercussion, of negative publicity, lack of knowledge on how to report and to whom and sometimes even dissatisfaction with the method of redressal. Professor Lahiri also suggested that at times, victims did not think that the harassment that they had gone through amounted to something serious enough to be reported to a higher authority.
#WhyIDidntReport
In a bid to tackle this problem, the Feminist Collective has come up with a novel initiative named #WhyIDidn’tReport. As a part of this, they have put up boxes around the campus, encouraging people to share the reasons they didn’t report their harassment to authorities. The aim, according to the Collective, is to ‘foster a conversation around the larger #MeToo movement.’
The collective also organised a small get together ‘for people to share, vent, and discuss experiences and reactions surrounding #MeToo in India and Ashoka.’ These initiatives are in tandem with Professor Lahiri’s call to the student body to help build conversation around sexual harassment and to ‘build up trust’.
The former President’s family will donate all his papers to the Ashoka Archives of Contemporary India.
Surabhi Sanghi, Class of 2020
Ashoka University recently acquired the prestigious papers of Dr. S Radhakrishnan, in its archive — Ashoka Archives of Contemporary India. The donation includes Dr. Radhakrishnan’s books, manuscripts, lecture notes and correspondence, philosophy journals he subscribed to and more.
Photograph of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan presented to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1962
The archives of Dr. Radhakrishnan have had a history of their own. About 15 years ago, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), one of the best known archives in India approached the former Presidents family to acquire the various documents and papers of Dr. Radhakrishnan. These set of documents are extremely important as they provide insights into Indian history and political scenario of Dr. Radhakrishnan’s times.
At that time, the family did not part with the archives. Even when Sahitya Academy approached them, the papers were not moved from the family house back in Chennai. But, it was getting tougher for the family to preserve the papers.
Indira Gopal, Radhakrishnan’s daughter-in-law and custodian of the papers with the Radhakrishnan Trust started looking at ways of preservation and decided to make this significant donation to Ashoka University. This was not a choice that was made arbitrarily but had reason behind it. For starters, there was a personal, intellectual bond shared by Dr. Radhakrishnan’s family and Ashoka University. The chancellor, Prof. Rudrangshu Mukherjee had been a student of S. Gopal, son of Dr. Radhakrishnan.
“There is obviously immense historical significance to the works and papers associated with a former President and Vice President. He lived a rich public life and these papers reflect that. The archive has just started and we have started acquiring papers from several individuals,” Chancellor Rudrangshu Mukherjee told The Economic Times.
The documents have already made way to the University in several trenches. The last few parts of the documents are in the process of being shifted from Mylapore in Chennai to Sonepat.
“We only had two concerns: one, they should be protected and preserved for posterity in the best possible manner and that they should be used for reference purposes by scholars, not as library material. Ashoka agreed to both and hence the decision to donate to the new but rather impressive university in terms of scholarship,” said Keshav Desiraju, a former civil servant and grandson of Radhakrishnan.
Rohini Sharma, Class of 2020 Zainab G. Firdausi, Class of 2019
In a town-hall held on 25 September, the Vice-Chancellor, in the presence of other senior members of the administration, informed the undergraduate student body about the institution of a curfew restricting student movement in and out of campus at night, starting from the first week of October.
The exact timings of the curfew are yet to be made official, but entry and exit are likely to be restricted from 12 am to 6 am. The document enlisting the details of and the exceptions to this rule is in process of being drafted by members of the administration. They will be communicated to the student body by the following week.
The urgent town-hall took place in the sports MPH since a large turnout was expected.
The curfew is being imposed in order to deter students from visiting establishments outside campus which serve alcohol illegally. The Vice-Chancellor took the occasion to explicate the reasons which forced the administration to take such a drastic step: safety of students and condemnation of a culture which promotes substance abuse and peer pressure.
Dr. Mehta, in his address, alleged that the students possess a “deeply ingrained culture of entitlement” with respect to matters of underage drinking and substance abuse. He claimed,“(students) are violating the law yet (they) are asking for police protection”. The administration reports that after their assessment of the risk students take by partaking in such activities, they were forced to take this measure.
Lastly, Dr. Mehta stressed another form of risk that has also arisen but lies within the four walls of the campus: peer pressure. Students have approached members of the administration and faculty because they have felt “disempowered”, “suffocated”, and “silenced” for not conforming to social standards in matters of substance and alcohol intake. He stressed on the possibility of violence ensuing and creation of an intimidating environment due to the consumption of alcohol and narcotics. He further suggested that there is an urgent need for students to initiate honest peer-to-peer communication about issues such as these and to move away from the culture of silencing others.
Student Government President Condemns Decision-Making Process
After Dr. Mehta concluded his address, student government president Arush Pande addressed the gathering. He asserted that although he agrees with the Vice Chancellor’s arguments, he disagrees with the manner in which the rule is being implemented and “on behalf of the Student Government, (he is) completely against the imposition of the curfew”. He argued that everything that was discussed in the town-hall should have been discussed earlier with the student body being given a more important role in the decision-making process. A number of other students echoed Arush’s concerns and brought forth deficiencies in the method of communication of the administration.
But there also existed differing points of view. For instance, another student asserted,“the administration has been adequate in communicating to the students the intolerance of the university towards the usage and possession of alcohol and drugs”, and “those who break the law regularly ‘have the audacity to stand in front of the same administration that has not just adjusted with their habits but also protected them from the repercussions’”.
The Student Government held an open meeting on the 26th of September to discuss the next steps that the student body must take in response to the curfew.
Flying Squad seizes illegally smuggled alcohol in Sonepat
The imposition of this curfew is especially relevant, since, on 16 September Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s flying squad seized “648 halves of different liquor brands, a tank filled with 500 litre of liquor, empty stock of 630 bottles, 2,100 halves and eight bags of empty quarters, a large stock of sealing machine and rolls, labels, covers and other material from a bottling plant from Baiyanpur village in the district”.
The discovery of empty bottles, sealed machines, and labels confirm suspicions that a lot of the alcohol served at these illegal establishments might be adulterated. Spiked alcohol has long-term negative health effects. Eg., Methanol (a very popular off-brand liquor which is sold illegally) can cause blindness.
This crackdown comes after a party in Sonepat involving drugs and alcohol was recently raided by the same flying squad.
This article has been edited since publication for clarity.
When the current Editorial Board took over The Edict at the turn of the year, we had outlined our commitment to our readers and this University: “The Edict’s presence is a response to the unfortunate invasion of Ashokan discourse by social media, which has precipitated a move from reading and writing to scrolling and ranting.”
In keeping with our pledge, we bring to you the Mauryan Debates. This shall be a set of 5 One versus One Debates on contemporary campus issues that are polarizing and have been the subject of Facebook debates, dinner table discussions and often heated conversations. The role of a newspaper is to not just report on these matters but also to facilitate discourse, dialogue and dissent. These Debates shall be an opportunity for us to come together as a community and vociferously, yet prudently, partake in public discussion.
The ancient emperor in whose name our University flourishes was a champion of reason, public deliberation and argumentative discourse. The most important of the 4 historic ‘Buddhist Councils’ was organized in the 3rd Century BC, by Emperor Ashoka. These councils didn’t just concern themselves with religious principles but also offered an opportunity for open public discourse. In following with this tradition, and what we consider the responsibilities of a newspaper, we present to you this event.
There shall be no time limit for the speakers. However, they will have to abide by the word limit for pieces submitted to the Opinions Sections: 1000+200 words. All those who are interested will have to register their interest with us ahead of time, and the pieces need to be submitted to us before midnight on Sunday (23rd September).
The motions for the 1st Mauryan Debates are as follows:
“Perfectly abled individuals should not have the right to take the lift to the 1st floor.”
“The proceedings and subsequent results of cases being tried by the Committee Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) should not be confidential.”
“A Student Government is futile at Ashoka University.”
“Are Ashoka’s students worthy of Emperor Ashoka’s ideals?”
“Ashoka University as an idea has failed.”
On the 24th of September, Monday, the Multi Purpose Hall in the Academic Bloc shall transfigure into our very own Agora. We expect one and all to join us embodying the greek spirit of ἀγορεύω (‘Speaking in Public’), while staying true to the spirit of tolerance, parley and hearkening that Ashoka stood for.
“Concord therefore is meritorious, to wit, hearkening and hearkening willingly to the law of piety as accepted by other people. For it is the desire of his Sacred Majesty that adherents of all sects should hear much teaching and hold sound doctrine.”
– Emperor Ashoka, Major Rock Edict XII.
Apply here to participate in the debate! You could also write to us at edict@ashoka.edu.in.
In the orientation week for the Undergraduate batch of 2021, the Student Government announced the beginning of a new ‘house system’.
The houses will be named after the primary Ashokan cities Taxila, Pataliputra, Ujjain, Nalanda, and Kalinga.
This is, in the words of a member of the Cultural ministry Rithika Abraham, an initiative to ‘instill a spirit of competition and sportsmanship within the Ashokan community’. She explained that this idea sprung from the SG’s realization that a majority of the student body tends to get so heavily wrapped up in academics that they barely engage in communal fun games or events outside the classroom.
The SG is hoping a programme of this nature would promote greater student participation in cultural and sports activities at a university level.
Currently, membership is mandatory for the First-Years, the YIFs and members of the house. Arnav Mohan Gupta, the Cultural Minister, said this would both give them a ‘house identity’ and be another opportunity to bring the YIFs and Undergraduate students together.
History Repeats Itself?
While this new initiative seems like a fantastic way to bring the Ashokan community closer, a similar house system was introduced by the Sports department in the past, and it failed to garner the participation and generate enough interest.
However, Arush Pande, the president and a vocal supporter of this system, remains very optimistic about the success of the house system this time. He says the chances of this student-led initiative backed up by a majority of the government are higher.
He said the SG was looking at building Ashokan traditions and instilling a sense of Ashokan spirit across the community. Arnav too emphasized that the approach and plan this time are relatively more detailed and well-planned.
A previous version of this article stated that the Office of Student Life started a house system in the past. The article has been edited to fix this error.
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