Old DUSU office demolished, legacy of student politics lives on

The walls are gone, but the arguments, campaigns and political journeys they witnessed are unlikely to disappear. The old Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) office on Chhatra Marg, once a familiar stop for students with grievances and aspiring leaders with political ambitions, has been demolished, bringing down one of North Campus’s most recognisable landmarks.

For generations, the modest structure was where campus complaints were discussed, election strategies were planned and student representatives met those they claimed to represent. For some, it was simply an office. For others, it was their first classroom for politics.

DUSU was formed in April 1949 and held its first elections in 1954. Over the years, it has served as a launchpad for several politicians, including former Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Vijay Goel and Ajay Maken, besides CM Rekha Gupta and minister Ashish Sood. But its political legacy was never confined to those who eventually entered electoral politics. The office was part of the daily machinery of student mobilisation where young leaders learnt to address crowds, negotiate, organise campaigns and turn student grievances into political issues.

“Some of the biggest journeys towards a better future begin by letting go of something that has served us well. The old DUSU office on Chhatra Marg was not merely an office but a symbol of student welfare, democratic participation and student activism,” Sarthak Sharma, state secretary, ABVP told The Tribune.

“Generations of students walked through its doors with their grievances, ideas and aspirations, and many leaders went on to contribute to public life. We will certainly miss the old office, but the new Student Activity Centre represents the next chapter,” he added.

The DUSU office has shifted to Prerna Bhawan’s multi-storey Student Activity Centre, inaugurated on March 25. The facility includes a library, cafeteria, gymnasium, seminar hall, meeting spaces and offices for student representatives. The old office has disappeared. But the political journeys that began there and the tradition of student politics it came to represent remain part of North Campus’s living memory.

THE TRIBUNE, India’s oldest, daily English-language newspaper, was first published on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), and save for 40 days in the immediate aftermath of Partition, has come out every day over the last 145 years. THE TRIBUNE was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist of the time. The newspaper is run by a five-member Trust, which is chaired by Shri N N Vohra, former Governor of J&K State (2008-2018); as well as Justice S S Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; Shri Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur; Lt Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta, former Western Army Commander; Shri Paramjit Singh Patwalia, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court. THE TRIBUNE is free, objective, and independent. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language, are the hallmarks of the paper. The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia