Departmental Societies
SOCIETY REPORTS OF DEPARTMENTS (2021)
Arabic Society, Al-Nadi Al-Arabi
Bengali Literary Society
We, the Bengali Literary Society is organizing Gopa Dey Memorial Lectures every year. Dr. Gopa Dey had been teaching in the department of Bengali, this college from 1998-2012 unless she met with her sudden demise. The Bengali Department and the Bengali Literary Society initiated an Annual Lecture on her name from 2012 itself. Later this Lecture got a patronage from her family and now along with Gopa Dey Memorial Lecture, Gopa Dey Awards are being given as a token to encourage the bright students of the department and students with extra-curricular Activities. Prof. Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharya, Prof. Tanika Sarkar, Prof. Pabitra Sarkar, Prof. Jayanti Chattopadhyay, Prof. Nandita Basu, Prof. Amitava Chakraborty, Dr. Debjani Sengupta and some others.
This year, the 9th Gopa Dey Memorial Lecture was organized online through google meet with college id.
This year, the 9th Gopa Dey Memorial Lecture had been delivered on 24th February, 2022 by eminent scholar from Shantiniketan, Vishva-Bharati, Prof. Shreela Basu( Dept. of Bengali). It was a rich and highly exuberant lecture throughout with detailed research work on ‘The Narratives on the Terracotta Temples of Bengal’
(Banglar Terracotta Mandire Akhyan) and this lecture covered other parts of India too. The speaker had shown some very special narratives (Slides) which depict the social relations, political ups and downs, day- to-day activities etc which are peculiarly secular in character. The session was chaired by Prof. Gopa Datta Bhaumik(ex-VC of Gour Banga University). Eighteen Students from 2nd and 3rd year won Gopa Dey Memorial Awards.
The e-version of the Bengali-magazine ‘VARNAMALA’ (2021-22) was also published on this occasion.
The department celebrated 161st Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the first Nobel Laureate (Literature) from India(and the whole of Asia) on 23rd April, 2022 with participations of students of different departments such as Botany, Zoology, Mathematics, English and Bengali. Students performed well in speeches, songs, dances, recitations etc. with complete zeal. There were participants from other colleges too. Teachers from Miranda House( the only college other than us which has Bengali in Hons course) and some retired teachers from the University also came.
Prof. Narendra Singh, Principal of the college graced the occasion with his erudite presence. He encouraged all the students with his kind and soft words and mingled with them easily. Students were very happy to receive him.
Prof. Sangeeta Pandita from the department of Chemistry who had been an inspiration throughout to celebrate such occasions for the intellectual development of the students– was also present. She encouraged the students to know and internalize Rabindranath’s philosophy of life and to live with it. The teachers of the department — specially the junior teachers participated actively. All students enjoyed and worked hard to make the occasion a great success.
The department bid an offline farewell to the students of 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22– three batches together. All the outgoing students spoke high about the college and the department. The department wishes them the Best for their future life.
Botanical Society (Nargis)
President- Dr. Babeeta C Kaula
Vice-President – Dr. Deepika Sharma
Secretary- Ms. Srota Satapathy
Joint Secretary- Mr. Biji Mathew
Treasurer- Ms. Preeti Mathpal
The Botanical Society ‘Nargis’ of Zakir Husain Delhi College commenced its activities for the academic year 2021-22 by appointing the office bearers of the society with Dr.Babeeta C Kaula as President, Dr. Deepika Sharma as Vice-President, Ms. Srota Satapathyas Secretary, Mr. Bijji Mathew as Joint-Secretary, Ms. PreetiMathpal as Treasurer. Furthermore, the society opened doors for more students to increase student participation. The team now has a content creator team, Ms. Khushi Pandey and Ms. Pragati Sakhya as content creators, Md. Asrar as graphic designer and student volunteers as Ms. Ritu Dhillon, Ms. Lavanya Sharma, Ms.Khansa Mohsin, Mr. Sidhartha, Mr. Chetan Choudhary, Ms. Annanya Gupta, Ms. Jhanvi Singh, Mr. Anzar Shafi Magloo, Ms. Fathimi N, Mr. Nakul Shokeen, Ms. Ananya and Mr. Mayank Raj . The society was extended to social media to have a larger reach and is efficiently handled by Ms. Asna Khan and Mr. Abrez Israil as social media Managers. The Botanical Society is actively involved in overall grooming of the students for their holistic development. Being a botanical society special emphasis was given to environment related issues and various inter-college events were organized throughout the year.
On World Environment Day, 5th June 2021, under the UNDP theme of ‘Generation Restoration’ the Botanical Society ‘Nargis’ organised many intercollege events like, interactive games – Build World, Build Ecosystem (an interactive quiz game having various rounds of riddles, jumble words and pictionary), Green Selfie competition (participant has to click a selfie with the greenery around), Floral Press Art and Challenge accepted (a mandatory activity to ensure the registration of each participant at UNDP earth restoration initiative). The event received an overwhelming response across the colleges.
On 10th June 2021 a webinar on ‘Pandemic, Paradigm Shift and Our Concerns’ was conducted by the Botanical Society in collaboration with IQAC of the college.
On 31st August 2021, the Botanical society in collaboration with the College Garden Committee organized a talk cum workshop on the entitled ‘A Route to Roots’ to acknowledge the ‘VRIKSHAROPAN’ initiative of University of Delhi. It aimed to address the decrease in tree cover in residential localities and spread awareness about the problem and possible measures.
The event was graced by Guest Speaker Dr. Karuna Pal Gupta. Her tales of interconnection of humans with Nature kept the attendees hooked to the lecture. She talked about a plethora of topics like curation of personalized gardens, propagation of plants, and caring of delicate plants and specific plants like Adenium, white lily etc.
The students were requested to take up a plant sapling as a friend, plant it in a pot and click a picture with it while hugging a tree.
The society also organised entry based online competitions like meme and montage making competition and photography competition on the occasions of World Ozone Day, 16th September 2021 and World Wildlife Week 2021(1st October 2021 to 7th October) respectively. The competitions received astonishing entries from different colleges, departments as well as pass out students. Being an online event, the results were announced on our social media platforms along with the wonderful entries of the participants.
On 27th November 2021, the society organised the inaugural ceremony-cum-lecture for the session 2021-22. The lecture was delivered by Guest Speaker Dr. Reeta Khosla on ‘Waste- A Valuable Resource’. The primary aim was to make students familiar with the needs of the society, inspire students to learn the actual meaning of waste as a valuable resource at a crucial turning point of their lives. The goal was achieved on the day itself as many first year students joined the society as volunteers.
On 7th January 2022, the virtual fresher’s welcome ‘Parichay’ for the batch 2021-24 was organised.
On 2nd February 2022, World Wetland Day an online submission based slogan writing competition was organised. The theme for the competition was ‘Wetland Action for People and Nature’.
On 5th February 2022 – Basant Panchami, an inter-college and inter-university virtual Debate competition was organized on “Climate Justice- A Human Right?” . The event received an overwhelming response across various institutes.
On 12th February 2022 -Darwin’s Day, was marked with an IPR Awareness Programme. The lecture was delivered by our guest speaker Ms. PrachiPrateeti, IPO Delhi who familiarised the participants with various aspects of IPR and concluded the session with an engaging and informative quiz session.
On 8th March 2022 -International Women’s Day, the Botanical Society organised its annual fest 2022, Myrtle. Various submission based events were conducted such as Skit competition (theme- Woman and the Environment), Lady de Botanica- sketching competition (women in Botany), and collage making competition (theme- Woman and the Plant World).
On 12th April 2022 –Our Flagship Event –The Dr. Virender Kumar Rolling Shield Environment Quiz was organised. This is an annual inter-college event. This year the winners of the Trophy were the students of SGTB Khalsa college, University of Delhi
On April 26,2022 the Botanical Society organized farewell ‘Safarnama’ for the outgoing batch of B.Sc (Hons.) Botany IIIrd year.
The society now plans to address a socio-environmental issue every month and has taken up the responsibility to move towards a zero waste life-style this month onwards. The society nourishes and trains the minds with a hope of making each of its students an ambassador of environmental protection!
Looking forward to a green and healthy future when the seed of our ‘Nargis’ dispersein faraway lands!
CHEMUNICATE Society
Convener: Mr. Ravi Kant
Members: Ms. Leela Gautam, Dr.Jyotsna Ratan, Dr. Mamta Bai, Dr. Anubha Sharma, Dr. Manohar Lal
The Chemistry Society ‘CHEMUNICATE’ conducted various activities and events in the session 2020-2021 to promote overall holistic and academic development of students. This session’s activities were kicked off by celebrating Teachers Day on 5th of September, where students organized a cultural program for the teachers, recognizing and appreciating their efforts, especially through the tough times of pandemic.
Next up the society organized an inaugural lecture for the freshers, delivered by Dr Pradeep K. Srivastava, Former Dy. Director, Senior Principal Scientist at Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, on ‘Scientoons and Scientoonics’. The Society also organised an international online workshop-cum-webinar on Visual Note taking in collaboration with IQAC which was delivered by Mr. Zaid Ali Alsagoff from Malaysia.
The chemistry department organized the S.P. Suri Memorial award function to recognize students for their commendable efforts. This function was followed by a motivating talk by Prof.Ved Prakash, Former Chairman, UGC. A three-day educational trip to Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh was also organized for the students.
The annual fest ‘ZUSAMMEN’ was conducted this year through online mode, but that did not dampen the spirits of the students and a huge turnout was recorded. Various fun activities and events were organized such as PowerPoint Presentation competition, General Science Quiz, Scientoons, Chemras and Murder Mystery. This intercollege fest was a huge success, and students took part in all the events with great enthusiasm.
Finally, the Farewell program for the outgoing batch of 2022 was also facilitated and the chemistry department wished the best to the students for their future endeavours.
The Chemistry Society ‘CHEMUNICATE’ would like to extend its gratitude towards our Principal, Faculty and Staff. None of the above-mentioned programmes and activities would have been possible without their presence and guidance.
Commerce society
President : Dr. Shivani Abrol
Members : Dr. Nidhi Dhawan, Dr. Mahmood Alam, Dr. Swati Aggarwal
Commerce Society (2021-2022)
WEBINAR- EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMERCE STUDENTS AFTER GRADUATION The Commerce Society organized a variety of programs and events throughout the academic session 2021-22, targeting fostering students’ holistic and academic growth. The year commenced with a webinar on 12th November 2021 titled “Employment Opportunities for Commerce Students after Graduation,” headed by Mr. Kamal Chhabra, CEO and legal instructor at KC Glob Ed. The subject of the event was centred on the career options available to students following their graduation. With same enthusiasm and cooperation observed, many more events are lined up for the future.
WEBINAR- “HOW TO KICKSTART YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY,”
On February 12th, 2022, the society presented a webinar titled “How to Kickstart Your Entrepreneurial Journey,” where Mr. Dhruvam Thaker, Founder of The SMART Taxi, elucidated his entrepreneurial journey, inspiring students to launch their own enterprises. The incoming batch was greeted with zeal at an online Freshers’ Party hosted on 19th February 2022.
FRESHERS’ WELCOME
Numerous events were organised by the seniors to ensure that the newcomers were greeted with tremendous excitement. They put on performances including dancing and singing, as well as a Bollywood quiz, and made it a memorable day of their college life. The students enthusiastically participated in the Mr. & Ms. Freshers’ competition, which concluded with the crowning of the winners.
COMFEST “INNOVISION’22
The Commerce Society organized two days Commerce-fest “Innovision’22” on 4th and 5th March 2022. On the former day, a webinar was marshalled on the topic of Cryptocurrency: its Concept, Essence, and Future value. Mr. Aman Agarwal, Director (rektor) of the Indian Institute of Finance, and Mr. Shishir Sinha, Senior Deputy Editor, The Hindu Business Line, were the prominent speakers at the occasion.
On the second-day students from different colleges of the University of Delhi participated energetically in various events such as Instagram Marketing, Quiz Competition, and Meme-o- logy which were organized on the college campus. Shark tank was one of the events organized by the society where students demonstrated their entrepreneurial skills and proposed innovative ideas and products. The event was a grand success.
FAREWELL With the same zeal and teamwork, the society is organizing a farewell on 27th April 2022 for the outgoing batch of 2019-2022.
Economics Society
Coordinator: Dr. Simin Akhtar
The Economics Society organised The Fourth Annual Economics Symposium of the department in March, 2015, flagged off by the inaugural lecture on ‘Indian Economy and the challenge of Human Development’ by Prof. Halima Sadia Rizvi, Dept. of Economics, Jamia Millia Islamia. The lecture was followed by a poster-making competition on the theme, ‘Poverty, Inequality and the great Indian Dream’ followed by other events including Inter-College Quiz, Debate on the theme ‘Budget 2015: Making the rich, richer’, and Essay Writing on ‘Inclusive Development for 1.25 billion’. The Fourth issue of the Department’s Annual Journal ‘Rise’ was released in the Symposium, along with the journal’s online version. The Society is also organizing a field-trip for selected members of the Journal’s editorial board to Pahalgam, Kashmir, for a seminar on ‘Women and Education’. The Society also takes pride in the selection of our student, Sukriti Hatgaonkar for presenting a paper entitled, ‘Empowering Indian Women through Self Help Groups’ in a Seminar on ‘Gender and Livelihood: Opportunities and challenges’, organised by Barkatullah University, Bhopal.
Electronics Society
President: Dr. P. K. Shishodia
We are pleased to inform that our department is part of DBT star college scheme and Prof. P. K. Shishodia is the coordinator of the program.
Student attended the program, under the scheme, under the aegis of the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” launched by Honorable Minister of state of the ministry of Science & Technology and earth sciences on 8th Nov 2021, organized by DBT, Govt. of India. Electronic society facilitated online participation of the students and faculty in the webinar, Lectures etc., at the College level by different Electronics Societies or Electronics teachers.
Orientation Program for the B.Sc. (H) 1st year was conducted online.
English Literary Society
Under the convenorship of Dr. Rana Sami, English Literary Society of Zakir Husain Delhi College organized a number of programmes in the year 2021. The academic year began with an online farewell function for the outgoing batch of 2018-21 held on 3rd June 2021. Pre-recorded poetry recitation, dance performances, and mono act were the highlights of this programme. English Literary Society in collaboration with the Student Mentorship Committee of English Department arranged an interaction between the alumni, teachers, and students of English Department on 07 August 2021 immediately after ‘Meet the Alumnus Author: Siddharth Chowdhury’ event held the same day at 11.00 am on MS Teams. The alumni registration form and poster of the programme was shared in advance on the alumni forum of English Department so as to facilitate the entry and participation of former students on Teams. Siddharth Chowdhury, the author of the novel The Time of the Peacock, provided invaluable guidance to students with regard to the publication of creative works. The enthusiastic participation of alumni and students with the encouragement of English Department faculty members contributed to the success of the online alumni meet.
Hindi Sahitya Sabha Society
History Society
Life Science Society (Fusion)
Mathematical Society
ANJUMAN-E-FARSI Society
Pshycology Society
Philosophy Society (The Monist)
Physical Sciences Society
Physics Society
Political Science Society Avaam
Department of Political Science Avaam, Zakir Husain Delhi College strives for the holistic development of their students by fostering a political consciousness and a critical analysis. To curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic the university opted for an online teaching format, forgoing the traditional classroom model of teaching. The department smoothened this transition, by organising ICT workshops for students through digital platforms such as MS Teams, Google Meet, Zoom etc. In the academic year 2020-21, the department has actively worked towards creating an engaging environment for the students. This feat was achieved through numerous interactive sessions with eminent speakers and panel discussions about varied topics of interest, which ensured learning beyond the classrooms. We attempted to connect the student community, by broadening the scope of opportunities available to them and by making learning an inclusive experience for every member.
Department Activities
- Special Lecture on Political Theory : The first lecture of the academic session 2020-21, was an orientation lecture by Prof. Ashok Acharya, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi on ‘Contemporary Political Theory: Issues and Challenges’ held on December 4, 2020. It primarily sought to acquaint the first-year students with the constantly evolving and ever-challenging nature of political theory, a sub-discipline of Political Science. He deliberated upon the theme with rudimentary and fundamental approaches which helped the audience, especially the first-year students understand the complexities of the political world we inhabit.
- Ist Ramashray Roy Memorial Lecture: To commemorate the contribution of late Prof. Ramashray Roy (founding member and former Director of Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) to the discourse of Social Sciences and Politics of India, the department in collaboration with Ramashray Roy Foundation, New Delhi, organised the 1st Ramashray Roy Memorial lecture on the topic ‘Social Science in India: Major trends and Possibilities’ on 20 January 2021. The speaker for the session was Prof. Girishwar Misra, former VC, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, retired Professor of Psychology, DU
- On January 28, 2020, a session on ‘A Critical Understanding of the Law-Making Process of the Parliament’ was organised. The speaker for the session was Maansi Verma, a lawyer and founder of Madhyam. Madhyam is a digital participatory policy making initiative.
- In collaboration with Gandhi Study Circle, a session on ‘Farmers Movement and Reconstruction of Rural India – The Gandhi Way’ was held on February 15, 2021. The speaker of the webinar was Prof. Anand Kumar, an eminent academician and social activist. Prof. Kumar underlined that a collectively organised protest of any nature in a liberal democracy not only questions the ruling dispensation on account of its majority but also raises a new hope for the deepening of democracy in India.
- On February 24, 2021, a lecture on ‘Right to Privacy and Diversity in the Constitution’ was organised. The speaker for the session was Amber Rana, a lawyer by training. The session attempted to understand the complexities of the privacy rights of citizens.
- On March 5, 2021, a session was organised on the topic, ‘History of the Right to Property in Independent India’ by Namita Wahi, Fellow, Centre for Policy Research and founding director, Land Rights Initiative. The session attempted to explore the linkages between the histories and present felt need of land reform laws in India.
- Book Discussion on UN Day: On October 24, 2021, on the occasion of the United Nations Day, a panel discussion was held on a recently published book ‘India in United Nations: Interplay of Interests and Principles’, authored by Prof. CSR Murthy, retired faculty at School of International Studies Jawaharlal Nehru University. Prof. Rumki Basu, Dept. of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia and Prof. Yeshi Cheoden, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Dr Uma Shankar, senior faculty member of the department, joined the discussion.
- Freshers Welcome Programme: On 28th November 2020, the department organised a Retro Revival themed virtual Fresher’s Welcome. There was overwhelming participation with more than a hundred attendees. The event was followed by a host of performances, such as dance, singing, poetry recitation and mimicry. It introduced the freshers to the department and made them an integral part of Avaam.
- Poetry Recitation Competition on Parakram Diwas: In memory of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s indomitable spirit and selfless service to the nation, the department celebrated Parakram Diwas by organising a Poetry Recitation Competition on the occasion of his 125th Birth Anniversary. The poems were recited both in Hindi and English.
- International Women’s Day Talk: March 8, 2021, International Women’s Day Celebration was marked by conducting a webinar on ‘ Me-too Movement: Struggles and Achievements’. The speaker for the event was, Rituparna Chatterjee, a journalist, gender activist and curator of the India #MeToo. The talk was encircled around the very objective of identifying patriarchy within the private and public spheres.
- Ambedkar Jayanti Special Address: In association with the Embassy of India, Seoul, Republic of South Korea and Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Seoul, the department on April 14 celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti on the occasion of the 130th birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar . A special address on ‘Dr Ambedkar’s Multifaceted Contribution to Modern India’ was delivered by Dr Narendra Jadhav, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and author of the book ‘Untouchables’.
- A discussion on “Secularism, Cow-Slaughter and Communalism in modern India “was organised on 9th July 2021. Dr. Shabnum Tejani, from SOAS, University of London was the key discussant on this occasion.
- From the new academic session 2021-22, the Department of Political Science has instituted a Lecture Series onthe theme ‘Changing dynamics of International Politics’. The inaugural lecture of this series was organised on August 25, on the theme ‘Afghanistan at Crossroads: Challenges and Prospects’. Suhasini Swamy Haidar, eminent journalist and Diplomatic Affair Editor, The Hindu delivered the key note address.
- The second lectureof this series on the theme ‘The Rise and Rise of the Quad: Theory and Praxis’ was delivered Prof. Harsh V. Pant, Professor of International Relations, King’s College London on September 22.
- A special Lecture on ‘Ambedkar and the making of the constitution of India’ was delivered by eminent political philosopher, Aakash Singh Rathore on September ,27.
- The department celebrated the constitution day on November 26 by organising a preamble reading session and a special lecture on ‘working of Indian constitution ‘was organised on November 27 in collaboration with Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre and the institute of Indian studies, Hankuk University. Prof. Bidyut Chakrabarty, Vice Chancellor, Visva-Bharati University and Prof. Chanwahn Kim, the key invited panellists deliberated on the historical importance of constitution on this occasion.
Teacher- In -Charge
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar
Department of Political Science
Sanskrit Literaray Society
Urdu Literary Society (Bazm e-Adab)
Zoological Society (Inheritance)
Coordinator: Dr Satish Ganta
For its inaugural function the Zoological society invited Prof. Anand Prakash, Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, and for its annual fest Dr. Subeer S. Majumdar, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi as guest speakers. In addition, an educational-cum-excursion trip was organized for B.Sc. (Hons.) zoology students to visit Jim Corbett National Park and Nainital.