Delhi University students today took a break from studies to immerse themselves in artistic endeavours as the varsity's three-day annual cultural festival 'Antardhvani' kicked off here.
The academic and cultural festival was inaugurated by University Grants Commission's chairman Ved Prakash at North Campus in the presence of DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh.
The theme of the festival is the four-year undergraduate programme, which was implemented from this year. Colleges will compete for the 'Good Practices Awards' of upto Rs 10 lakh in the range of teaching and research.
A flower show, which is a major annual attraction of the university, is also a part of the festival among some new highlights. The finale will see a music and light show.
At the festival, Singh also launched the DU's 'Inclusive Print Access Project' for the visually impaired students.
The project, by Equal Opportunity Cell, endeavours to install technologies in library reading halls so that both visually impaired and the sighted students can access books in English and Hindi in an inclusive environment.
Meanwhile, Delhi University Students' Union and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad had yesterday called for a boycott of the festival to protest the four-year structure.
A cricket match was also organised by the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) as a mark of protest.
"By making it mandatory to participate in the Antardhvani the administration has shamelessly tried to browbeat students and teachers to give positive feedback in favour of the FYUP," DUTA President Nandita Narain said.
