Days after Parliament saw a heated debate over Vande Mataram, Delhi University on Friday approved a proposal to rename the convention hall in its Arts Faculty after the national song.
At the Executive Council’s meeting on Friday, Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh proposed that the hall, currently under renovation, be named “Vande Mataram Hall”. “All Executive Council members agreed to this,” according to the varsity’s official statement.
The administration dismissed any link to the ongoing political controversy even as the decision comes at a time when both the Houses of Parliament have witnessed heated exchanges over whether singing Vande Mataram should be made compulsory.
The Rajya Sabha Tuesday saw a seven-hour-long debate on the national song. While the Opposition members claimed the government was trying to divert attention from critical issues facing the country, the treasury benches accused the Opposition, especially the Congress, of appeasement politics.
Speaking with The Indian Express, South Campus Director Rajni Abbi said, “The convention hall was being renovated and we have been calling it convention hall for years and we had to give it a name. Since 2025 marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, we have decided to name it Vande Mataram Hall. This has nothing to do with the debates in the Parliament.”
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Singh also said that the Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan will be the chief guest at DU’s 102nd convocation on February 28 next year.
Meanwhile, Chief Engineer Ashok Saini briefed the Executive Council on ongoing construction works, with the university noting that “various projects are underway… costing approximately Rs 2,000 crore”. Most of these are expected to be completed “in the near future,” the Executive Council was told.
Story continues below this ad
Alongside the naming of the hall, the EC also approved the establishment of a Centre for Odia Studies under the Faculty of Arts. The release states that the Centre will “expand the scope of discussion on Odia language, literature, culture, civilization, and customs… thereby enhancing the understanding of this field of knowledge.” It will offer an MA in Odia, certificate and diploma programmes, and a generic elective for UG students through the Undergraduate Curriculum Framework.
Registrar Vikas Gupta presented minutes and action-taken reports of previous meetings while the EC also cleared a proposal to construct a new broadcasting studio near the Vice Regal Lodge Building, estimated at Rs 23,208,537.
The meeting additionally approved Delhi University’s revised budget estimates, reducing the 2025–26 projection from Rs 1,664.74 crore to Rs 1,312.33 crore, and setting a budget estimate of Rs 1,651.42 crore for 2026–27.
