‘Internal’ issue: DU students juggle fest prep and exam stress

The onset of exams due to delayed fest season this time in Delhi University has left the students with no choice but to put assignments on the back burner.

Torn between the urge to raise the roof while maintaining a steady academic graph, students of Delhi University (DU) are encountering internal exams while multi-tasking for college fests. The exam fever clashing with an extended fest season has created a conundrum in the lives of youngsters. “Our fest is being held for the first time since the pandemic pause, and the same is the case in a few other colleges as well,” says Priya Sharma, a final-year student of BA (Hons) English at Kirori Mal College, and continues, “Hopefully, this is the last time that we face this clash because it is too hot to enjoy any fest in May!”

This year, the fest season has extended to May, and DU students are trying to judiciously divide their time between revelry and internal exams.(Photos: Dhruv Sethi and Shantanu Bhattacharya/HT)

Talking about the pressure of juggling the two equally important tangents of college life, Prabha Jha, a second-year student of BA (Hons) Political Science at Miranda House, shares, “When I was attending Mecca, the Hindu College fest, my thrill was overshadowed by the stress of internals. I remember I kept updating and checking my study schedule because it felt never-ending! But at the same time, I am also excited about Ramjas’ Mosaic tonight.”

For Sanyam Yadav, a first-year student of BSc (Hons) Mathematics at Ramjas College, the difficult decision entails temporarily prioritising his commitment to his college’s dance society. He shares, “Our fest is here, and I can’t let down my peers at dance soc! For the time being, I’ve put all of my assignments and test prep on the back burner. Once the fest is over, the real life will set in. Tab dekhenge ki kya karna hai.”

Doing her best while keeping her chin up, Nikita, a first-year student of BCom (Hons) at Shri Ram College of Commerce and member of the organising team of Crossroads, the college’s cultural fest, says, “Managing both academics and core team duties can be a daunting task. For the past few weeks, I’ve been waking up early to be on top of my submissions and revisions. I do this because I know, once I reach my college, I would have to have to dedicate all my time towards preparing for the fest.”

It's not a joke for the young guns who have to complete multiple assignments at the same time. Take for instance, Jaibir Singh Brar who has eight submissions to make this week! “Teamwork offers a great solution,” says this second-year student of BA (Hons) Political Science at Hindu College, adding, “Half of my assignments were group projects, so we divided the work among ourselves and took charge of one assignment each. Ab aise hi karna padega.”

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