It’s that time of the year, where had we been on campus, we would be looking forward to the end of minors and the start of Rendezvous. But here we are. This lockdown has forced even the most unreserved among us to be holed up at home, but weirdly enough, we’ve all still managed to hold on to some bits of IIT Delhi. We’ve studied together, cast votes, and even graduated. Our administration has conducted exams, ceremonies, and even an entire internship phase, all while everyone was at home. Would anyone have thought this possible? Probably not. Just as the students, the professors, and the admin have upheld their job, so must we. Our first Inquirer, as a new team, was ideated online, with tens of zoom interviews and design finalisation voice calls. Many of us have never talked or even seen each other on campus before. But just as much as the joy of late-night ex-hall meetings has eluded us, we’ve cherished every discussion even more. With every day that passes without knowing when we’ll be able to return, the strength in knowing we’re all in this together only gets stronger. And with that, let’s begin.
The present edition of Inquirer is our attempt at examining the knots in the thread that connects the students with the administration, and by extension, with the institute as a whole. Our cover story is centred around the upheaval that almost every sophomore and graduating student is faced with in their internship and placement seasons. ‘OCS and the Allegations’ aims to show a twin perspective, diving deep into issues of the OCS that have plagued the student body, and countering some of them by reflecting on the responsibilities and inner workings of the OCS.
The next article covers one of IIT Delhi’s most remarkable achievements this year, development of the world’s cheapest COVID-19 testing kit. We talk to the team of professors at Kusuma School who made this possible and learn about the hurdles they had to overcome. From having no access to real virus samples, worrisome transportation for assays and the economics of commercialisation, we also look at what lies ahead for the researcher entrepreneurs.
A criticism BSP has often dealt with is the lack of space for opinions and critique pieces by students. Our commitment to changing that view is unflinching, and as a starter, we bring to you two remarkably relevant opinion editorials. “An appeal to stop normalizing distress in students” by Nivida Chandra is a thorough and extensive work on the ever-fluctuating mental health conditions of the student community, and the role students and administration can play in bettering it. “The Eternal Dance”, our second opinion piece is a partly dejected-partly frustrated account of more than half of the undergraduate populace, constrained by rules that seem overarching impositions.
Inquirer is a marker of our journalistic endeavors and a reminder of our commitment to bring forth the stories that concern all or any of us. As editors, we try our level best to not give in to our confirmation biases, and pursue the story in as objective a manner as possible. Errors remain unavoidable in any case, and we would be delighted in knowing your review of our team’s work.
Warmly,
Ayesha, Maria & Raunaq
Special Thanks: Samar Sir (President) & Yash Sheth (G Sec.)