JOIN USSo which is the 'coolest' DU campus of all?
After crossing the big hurdle of Class X and XII Boards and the disciplined life in school, the carefree environment of college is the big dream of many a youngster. From going through the cut-offs to rushing from one college to another in the hope of getting entry into your dream college, to checking out the favourite food and hangout joints around the campus to overhauling the wardrobe…phew!
The list is endless—just a tiny hint of an exhilarating college life ahead. And nothing quite beats the heady feeling when you get admission in a Delhi University college of your choice which is part of the North Campus. And hey bingo! You unwittingly become a part of Delhi University’s well-known rivalry between the North Campus and South Campus colleges. While North Campus is considered huge and has some of the best colleges— Sri Ram College of Commerce, St Stephen’s, Hindu, Kirori Mal, Ramjas and Hansraj with active extracurricular activities, South Campus too comes out strong.
It rates high on faculty and boasts of colleges like Venky (Sri Venkateswara), Aurobindo, (co-ed) and Lady Sri Ram, Gargi, Kamala Nehru and Jesus and Mary Colleges as its finest girls’ colleges.
While the North Campus students mock their South Campus counterparts for having little access to a cool social life, the Southies flaunt their monopoly over the number of ‘beauty with brains’ thanks to a good number of girls’ colleges.
For a Kamla Nagar in North Campus there is a Satya Niketan in South Campus. For all the momos, the lemon bantas, egg noodles and Chacha ke Chhole Bhature at North Campus, there are Nizam’s kathi rolls, famous across the city, at South Campus. Also famous for its delicious Chinese fare is the well-known QDs, at Satya Niketan right opposite the Sri Venkateswara College, a popular hub of students bunking classes for some yummy chowmein.
A host of ice cream parlours and restaurants offering popular Indian street food like gol gappas, chaat, kachori, chhole-bhature, momos are just enough to sate the hunger pangs of students after a gruelling day at college!
Asked about their food and shopping preferences, students at North Campus without a demur gave the oldest and the most student-friendly market, Kamla Nagar aka K-Nags a thumbs up. “I prefer Kamla Nagar for shopping as it is also cool for roaming around with friends,” said Manya Kakkar, student of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College. And what about the North-South Campus rivalry and competition, she added, “If you compare North with South, I am very sure that competition is more in North. It’s just like that when we fight for the top ranking in school.”
Talking about chilling out with friends, Naman Aneja, student of Aurobindo College (South Campus) said, “My friends and I go to PVR Saket for movies. I like Select City Walk also,” adding that the “Crowd is just awesome in South Campus. The students are open-minded and friendly and the classes/faculty are better here.”
Khyati Bajaj, a student of Satyawati College, said, “I like the fests of North Campus in comparison to South campus. The crowd is just mind blowing.” Talking about the studies, she says the, “lecturers of South Campuses are good but notes provided to the students of North are better.”
Delhi University is always in the spotlight because of its old-world infrastructure and red stone buildings and lush greenery all around. “North Campus is the example of a perfect outfit. The old buildings are best for photography,” says Prachi Gupta, student of Deen Dayal Upadhyay College.
Even as the ‘which-is-the-best-campus debate’ continues one thing is for sure --- the dream university will always be the Delhi University.