Expecting in DU

The Delhi High Court has championed the cause of pregnant students, stating that a girl cannot be barred from taking exams if her attendance is short due to pregnancy. But a college dropour has a different story to tell.

A young Delhi girl recalls the experience of being pregnant while in college. The Delhi High Court has championed the cause of pregnant students, stating that a girl cannot be barred from taking exams if her attendance is short due to pregnancy. But, Ekta Sharma (name changed), who dropped out of Delhi University as she was expecting, says it’s not an easy life for a pregnant student in a Delhi college.

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“I got married just after I passed out of school. Though wearing the

chooda

to college made me feel out of place, it was still okay. I got pregnant in my second year. Initially, it wasn’t bad. I was in a girl’s college and could confide in my friends if I felt sick during a class. The college environment was comfortable and the teachers were cooperative.

But, things changed as the bulge became prominent. To avoid awkward stares, I started dressing up in loose kurtas or long dresses. It kept getting worse. The benches in DU are not comfortable for anyone, let alone a pregnant woman. The guys who stood outside our college would often stare at me. My classmates asked me weird questions. By my seventh month, I couldn’t take it anymore, and decided to drop out. Anyway, half the time I was taking leave, missing classes, crying about the backlog. I never went back.”