Students at Daulat Ram College, Thursday. The college will be resuming offline classes on February 23 after requests from outstation students. Aranya Shankar On the campus teeming with students Thursday were several “freshers” or first-year students conspicuous by their elated faces and nervous body language, unsure of where to proceed and whom to meet but raring to go. Several of them were accompanied by their parents who waited patiently inside and outside college premises, as their wards attended the first day of offline classes.
At Ramjas College, Deepa Menon and Vidiadharan M from Palakkad in Kerala were posing next to the college plaque for a photo, as their daughter Aditya attended classes inside. “She’s very excited to be back and so are we. There is no point of taking admission in a DU college if students can’t experience the campus. We just wish a little more time had been given before the reopening. It became a little rushed,” said Menon.
Outside Gargi College too, several first years stood with their parents before classes began. Poornima Sen (18), a first-year Hindi student at the college, said, “It’s exciting to be in college for the first time. I’m not sure what to expect.” Despite having looked for accommodation, many freshers were yet to find anything suitable.
“We were trying to find a place to stay within 6 km of the college but couldn’t find a comfortable place. I’ll have to commute from Faridabad every day,” Sen said.
Simran Sharma (18) from Jammu, a first-year student of B.Sc Programme at St Stephen’s College, was also accompanied by her parents on the first day. “I would have preferred it if offline classes had started in the second semester. There is barely any time left for our exams to begin, and I’m yet to find accommodation,” she said.
Accommodation woes also plagued Ritu Bhandari from Dehradun, a first-year student at Motilal Nehru College. “We didn’t have any classes today, but I came to see the college anyway. Finding a place to stay has been very difficult. The PGs in the area are either very expensive or fully booked. I finally settled for a flat with a few friends,” she said.
Sanjana Bartwal (18) and Tanisha Sharma (18) had both also commuted from Faridabad to attend their first day of college at Shri Ram College of Commerce. “There is a lot of excitement to meet everybody and see what lies ahead for us. As of now, we have thought of travelling from Faridabad every day, because only a few days are left for this semester to end. Maybe from the next semester, we will find some accommodation closer to the college,” said Bartwal.
Some first years were waiting outside college for friends they have never met before. A first-year B.Sc student at Gargi College was waiting outside with her mother for the friends she had made during online classes. “I don’t even know them by face. This is the first time we’ll be meeting. But classes will stop again soon for prep leave,” she said.
At Hindu College, Prerna Sharma (18) waited for her classmate and friend Sunil Gujjar (18) before entering the premises. “As of now, we have only been introduced to each other virtually. I’m very excited to meet all the people who I have only talked to on the phone or seen online. It was high time that the campus reopened. We really are looking forward to a year that will, hopefully, not lead to any more closures,” she said.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
