To fight the intense heat in the nation’s capital, Pratyush Vatsala who is the principal of Delhi University’s Lakshmibai College was observed sprinkling cow dung on a classroom’s walls
On the college’s internal teachers’ group, the principal, Pratyush Vatsala, posted a video of the deed in which she covered the classroom walls with cow dung, a customary Indian method thought to control indoor temperatures.
According to the principal, the act was a component of a faculty member’s continuing project, “Study of Heat Stress Control by Using Traditional Indian Knowledge.”
Who is Dr Pratyush Vatsala, Principal of Lakshmibai College, DU who applied cow dung on the classroom walls, biography, education and career
“It is under process. I will be able to share details of the full research after a week. The research is being carried out in porta cabins. I coated one of them myself because there’s no harm in touching natural mud. Some people are spreading misinformation without knowing the full details,” Pratyush Vatsala said.
In the college instructors’ group, Pratyush Vatsala posted the video herself, and it subsequently became viral on social media. She mentioned that classrooms in C Block are being cooled using indigenous techniques.
“These rooms will soon have a new appearance for those who attend classes here. She stated in the message, “We’re working to make your teaching experience enjoyable.”
Dr. Pratyush Vatsala, Principal, Lakshmibai College, University of Delhi was working as an Associate Professor in English at D.B.S. (PG) College, Dehradun. She is widely published in various national and international journals and has edited and contributed to many books, including an ebook, published by Interdisciplinary Press, Oxford. Dr. Vatsala has completed a Major Research Project and organized many events in the service of academic fraternity.
Professor Dr. Pratyush Vatsala is the Principal and Appellate Authority of the college and according to her LinkedIn profile, she has been working at Laxmibai College of DU since June 2015. Prior to this, she was Associate Professor of English at DBS (PG) College, Dehradun from June 2000 to June 2015 and has studied from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Faizabad. According to the website of DBS College, in 2004, Dr. Pratyush Vatsala took over as the head of the department after Mathur’s retirement and added a new dimension by promoting research activities.
The books written by her include Jane Anjane, Hindi Poetry Collection, Human Rights and Dalit Narrative, New Age Companion to English Literature, Equality and Social Justice: Issues and Concerns,(Ed.), Current Issues in Human Rights Education and Value Development, Breaking the Silence on Human Rights and Gender Issues,(Ed.), Mahila Hinsa Ka Ant: Kal, Aaj aur Kal,(Ed.), Human Rights Education: Issues and Challenges (Ed.)
Named after Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, the college was founded in 1965 and is run by the Delhi government. It is situated in Ashok Vihar. The recent project concentrated on one of the college’s five blocks.
Reactions of netizens
Although cow dung has long been used to control indoor temperatures in rural Indian houses, its use in a contemporary academic setting has drawn criticism, particularly from educators and internet users.
UPSC coach Professor Vijender Chauhan voiced concern about the message such activities convey about the academic climate and the institution’s integrity.
“She is Principal of a college of my university. Duly plastering cow-shit on classroom walls. I am concerned about many things – to begin with- If you are an employer and applicant studied from an institution which has such academic leader- what are odds of her getting hired?” he wrote