St. Stephen's College, Delhi
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History
1975: co-education restored
Supriya Guha, May 5, 2022: The Times of India
From: Supriya Guha, May 5, 2022: The Times of India
From: Supriya Guha, May 5, 2022: The Times of India
In 1975, the prestigious college became co-educational after a hiatus of 25 years. As the Delhi University marks its centenary year, a former student looks back at those times and reflects on what it was like being young and discovering new worlds
It was a lucky happenstance. The United Nations had declared 1975 the ‘International Year of Women’ and the Union ministry of education decided that all colleges in the University of Delhi would become co-educational, or rather, all the men’s colleges would cease to be exclusively so — although women’s colleges remained single-sex institutions. Thus, the giant waves created by the women’s movements around the world helped to create the tiny ripple that affected our lives.
Once we learned that our marks were good enough, we were delighted that we could study at St Stephen’s College, where so many of us had elder brothers.
So, there we were. All 47 of us. Most of us from girls’ schools, scarcely acquainted with members of the opposite sex, and quite willing to be convinced that the young men were cleverer, more worldly and more knowledgeable than we were.
Perfect targets, in other words, for “mansplaining” — though the word hadn’t been invented then — on a mass scale. It was true that most schools in Delhi had been single-sex, with a couple of exceptions, but the pool from where the students were drawn was small. There were no hostels for girls and so all of us were from Delhi, unlike the young men who came from different parts of the country.
The young men in college at the time decided to be staunchly against the entry of women, who they said would “poison the atmosphere”, essentially, the easy male bonding which had been characteristic of the idyllic all-male world.
It was quite fashionable to talk about how college had been positively ruined — as an unofficial dress code was allegedly prescribed and lecturers became more circumspect in their jokes and the anecdotes narrated in the classroom.
One senior student declared he was going to write an article in the college rag, entitled, “The First Blast of the Trumpet of the Monstrous Regiment of Women”. It was only when we got a little further in our reading of British history, then taught in great detail, that we recognised the title of a polemic by that celebrated Scots Reformer and misogynist, John Knox.
The other moan was about the famous college anthems, the “Farmer’s Song” and the “Blacksmith’s Song”, which could no longer be sung with full-throated uninhibitedness because of our presence. We wondered what those famous songs were actually about, until one of us stumbled across a book of English rugby songs in a bookshop.
It was a complete letdown to read the schoolboy smuttiness of the words, but also a wonder to think of the great pride at passing them off as highly distinctive. Indeed, they were but a part of the general atmosphere of laddishness some of the men aspired to.
As feisty young women, I don’t think we were greatly concerned. I remember a guy, famous for his skill at punning, trying hard to impress the prettiest girl in the college with a series of what were called “lobs”. She looked at him with an expression of complete placidity and asked him if he was practising for a career in advertising.
Once past the posturing, which lasted perhaps the first couple of weeks or most of the first term, there emerged the discovery of common interests, new ideas to learn, and we formed some genuine friendships that have lasted many years. There were new kinds of music to hear and learn about, new authors to discover and read, and an exciting new world of quizzes, debates, and drama. Delhi was having a sort of theatrical efflorescence at the time, with many students from college active in amateur plays.
About 10 years later, at a time when there were very many more women students, there was an unpleasant episode involving what was called a “Chick Chart”, rating the women according to their sexual attractiveness. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there had been a strong adverse reaction to it. “Laughing it off” was no longer the only recourse.
When I look back today, I think, we were spared many hurt feelings and humiliations because there was no social media in 1975. I have no doubt unpleasant and unkind things were said about many from that first batch of women who joined St Stephen’s College, and, indeed, we sometimes got to hear of them. But we were spared complete awareness and that proved a blessing, so that little impeded the excitement of being young and discovering new worlds.
This building in Kashmere Gate housed St Stephen's College from 1891 to 1941, after which the college was moved to its present location. There were a few women students back then but their entry was discontinued in 1949
Quite why there was such general excitement about our entry, I cannot now say. There had been women in St Stephen’s up to 1950, and a hiatus of 25 years seems insignificant, especially in a college nearly 150 years old. The probability is that those two and a half decades were very significant in the crystallisation of the Stephanian ethos, or shall we call it mythos?
These coincided with the years the English-speaking middle class grew in confidence and self-consequence. That world of exclusive male camaraderie, derived from public school values and from desi notions of yaarana , was already dated in 1975.
The writer studied history at St Stephen’s College from 1975 to 1980. She has a PhD on the history of midwifery in colonial Bengal
YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS
2014
India's no. 2 in Arts
All ranks below indicate the college's position among India's best Arts colleges and were determined by India Today
CITY: New Delhi
Founded on February 1, 1881, St. Stephen's is the oldest college in Delhi. It was first affiliated to Calcutta University, and later to Punjab University. With the establishment of Delhi University in 1922, it became one of its three original constituent colleges.
PARAMETER-WISE RANKING
Reputation: 2
Academic Input: 2
Student Care: 2
Infrastructure: 2
Placement: 2
Perceptual Rank: 2
Factual Rank: 11
2015
India’s no. 1 in Arts
2015: Becomes a ‘Society’
The Times of India, Nov 20 2015
St Stephen's set to turn `society' leaf
The draft constitution of St Stephen's Educational Society signifies massive changes in the future running of Delhi's best-known college. The draft, which became public on Thursday , will be tabled at a special meeting of the St Stephen's College governing body on November 23. For starters, the draft pertains to a St Stephen's Educational Society instead of St Stephen's College, itself a society. This society is a new entity that will have a governing body--which is now the college's supreme council -now slightly expanded with seven members instead of six. The supreme council is composed entirely of Church of North India members.
The supreme council will oversee “institutions“, meaning “educational institutions, schools, colleges, universities, medical colleges, research and learning centres established by the society .“ This suggest plans for expansion and St Stephen's College will be one of the institutions each of which will have its own governing body .
The college's governing body, argues lawyer and alumnus Sunil Mathews, is being “left toothless.“ The draft's proposals reduce the teacher repre sentation in the GB. The present GB has four positions for teachers -two elected, two appointed by rotation. The new one, if this draft is passed, will have just two and by rotation.
“The present GB where this will be placed is improperly constituted. The teachers' election couldn't take place at all but decisions are being taken. It is important to have elected members to serve as checks,“ says Nandita Narain, maths teacher, Delhi University Teachers' Association chief.
The GB will have the power to create “new categories of posts other than purely temporary posts“, a provision Mathews sees as violation of the University Grants Commission's norms. “The council used to appoint only the principal and took some decisions on admissions. Now it has most of the powers the GB enjoyed,“ adds Mathews. This list includes powers to “lay down guidelines governing admissions of students and appointment of teaching faculty, control policy, development and direction of the institution(s), to administer the finances and control the income and expenditure of the institution(s). It will also “have the power to veto, over-rule, supersede, amend, modify , and or suspend any decision taken by the governing body .“ As per the original constitution, “The supreme council shall have control of the religious and moral instruction of students and, in addition, shall appoint the principal after proper advertisement.“
“Clearly , the supreme council was never given a role in administrative matters. Our founding fathers wanted to keep the religious aspect separate from academic and administrative matters,“ said Narain.
The principal's role will change too. “The principal shall have and exercise complete control over the discipline of the institution, the courses taught in the college as well as its day-to-day administration,“ says the draft.
However, the principal's role is being expanded in disciplinary matters, originally the GB's province. The principal will act “as immediate authority in all disciplinary matters pertaining to governing body appointees subject to ratification of such action by the governing body and as final authority in respect of all other employees,“ says the draft.The principal has also the power to decide “which staff members shall reside in the institution's staff quarters“ and also recommend for increments. “This is clearly an attempt to throw some of us out of the campus,“ says Narain.
2016: Drop in number of applicants
The Times of India, June 19, 2016
Shreya Roychowdhury
Stephen's applications down by 20%
There has been a major drop in the number of applications for the 410 seats on offer at St Stephen's College this year. Compared with 29,672 applications received last year, as disclosed by the college, there were only aro und 23,500 students who were interested in studying there this year, implying a decline of over 20%. The college authorities “haven't analysed the reasons“ yet, but teachers said the “widespread confusion“ created by the college following an admission schedule different from Delhi Univer sity's might be behind the slide. The applications were last received till midnight of June 17, 2016.
Almost all major disciplines showed a drop in applications. Economics saw a 29% decrease, mathematics 31%, English 20%, chemistry 39%, physics 34%, and BSc Programme (with chemistry) 28%. While the exact figures were not available, the drop in the cut-offs in these subjects reflected the decline in applications. Applications, however, were higher than last year for BA Programme (12%), philosophy (17%), Sanskrit (39%) and BSc Programme (computer science, 28%).
The public information officer of the college, AD Mathur, did not seem perturbed.“The numbers dropping by a few thousand doesn't mean anything because 23,500 is still a huge number considering the very few seats available,“ he said. In contrast, Delhi University , as a whole, received 2,15,525 applications by Saturday evening, and the last date of registration has been extended to June 22.
St Stephen's teachers, however, won't speak on record.They alleged receiving a notice from the college administration forbidding them to discuss admissions with the media. “There was widespread confusion among students,“ explained a senior te acher. “Usually , DU makes it clear on its website that St Stephen's and Jesus and Mary colleges follow a different process, but didn't this time.Nor was the college proactive about publicising the process. Also, earlier our dates were synchronised to those of Delhi University , but this year they weren't. Even today I met a girl who was crying because she thought she had till June 19 to apply .“
Another teacher, who found the disinterest “strange“, said there was talk of the fees having gone up. If true, that could a factor, she said. “But,“ she continued, “we have to see if there's a decline in relation to DU or a decline in the university overall.“
Some teachers felt that the periodic upheavals the college has gone through and the “general disillusionment“ could be why applicants were deterred, though not many agreed.“The college has an aura of unattainability and that alone attracts many . I don't think the controversies impacted the admission procedure,“ said one of them.
Reservation of seats for CNI, others
As in 2018
Krittika Sharma, No. of general seats dips at Stephen’s, May 24, 2018: The Times of India
From: Krittika Sharma, No. of general seats dips at Stephen’s, May 24, 2018: The Times of India
Quota Up For Church Of North India Applicants
St Stephen’s College, which started its admissions on May 21, has increased the quota for the applicants from Church of North India (CNI) from 20% to up to 22.5% of the total seats. Non-Christian, general category aspirants, on the other hand, will have 39% of the total seats instead of last year’s 40%.
Being a minority institution, St Stephen’s reserves 50% of its seats for Christian students, including a major chunk for those from CNI. The college’s highest decision-making body is made of CNI members and its chairman is the bishop of Diocese of Delhi.
The cap for CNI applicants has gone up from 40% of the reserved seats for Christian candidates to 45%, with 50% of these seats (11.25 % of the total) being kept for those from CNI-Delhi Diocese, which manages the college, states the 2018-19 prospectus. The principal has also been empowered to fill up vacant seats meant for Christian applicants with any Christian category aspirant.
Of the 50% seats reserved for non-Christians, 78% have been earmarked for the general category, down from 80% last year. The proportion of non-Christian aspirants under the SC/ST category has gone up from 7.5% to 8.5% of the total seats.
The difference in merit cutoffs between general and Christian aspirants have widened with the latter getting up to 20% relaxation.
For supernumery seats, the college will take in three candidates from among the children of the defence personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The administration has also decided to do away with a written exam for BSc (honours)—except for maths—and BSc (program) courses.
To ensure greater transparency, it has declared the ratio of students versus seat for interviews. For humanities, four applicants — six for Christians — will be called for every seat while for science, six aspirants — eight for Christians — will be interviewed. The interviews are to start with mathematics on June 18 and end with sports on July 6. Verification of all certificates has to be done by July 31.
Traditions
2019: Anga Oath cancelled
From: Mohammad Ibrar, Stephen’s cancels ‘sexist’ Valentine’s Day ritual, February 14, 2019: The Times of India
Breaking away from a four-decadelong tradition, members of the Allnutt North Gentlemen’s Association (ANGA), St Stephen’s College’s residential facility for boys, has decided to cancel the ‘Anga Oath’ in 2019 on Valentine’s Day after protests from women students. The oath is accused of promoting misogyny, and the hostel residents said they do not support it.
The oath, which states that the Anga hostel dwellers would “promote misogyny”, takes place every year since the 1970s as a mark of resentment against admission of women students in the college.
“We have decided to cancel the event this year as we don’t promote it,” said Srijit Seal, hostel students’ representative and third year chemistry student.
Last year, after massive protests, the oath was altered by the hostellers to be less sexist and misogynist. “This was a mere token gesture from the hostel students after they faced protests,” said a member of the Pinjra Tod collective.
Maitreyi Jha, a second year history student, was part of the agitation against the ‘tradition’, said that it had to go completely, as the oath’s history was not erased.
Unlike Stephen’s, Hindu College hostel students are continuing with their ‘virgin tree puja’ — another ritual that has evoked protests over the years for its misogyny and objectification of women.
This year, after facing protests, the Hindu College students have decided to worship a celebrity couple, instead of a woman celebrity as Damdami Mai. However, several students and Pinjra Tod have decided to conduct a protest at the site and block the event.
