Believe it or not, Kirori Mal College (KMC) went without sports quota trials for girls for almost 51 years! What is interesting is that they had admitted only two girls through sports quota during that period.
Unlike other co-educational colleges in the Delhi University, KMC did not hold trials for its girl entrants since coming into existence in 1954. It was only in 2005 that the college realised its mistake and decided to throw open its gates to girls from the sports quota.
Quizzing the college authorities on this anomaly was of little use. “No one really knows (on why trials were not held earlier). I asked the college authorities the same question but everyone was clueless,” said Benu Gupta, the college's physical education head.
“When I joined KMC in 2005, I found it odd that no sports trials for girls were being conducted. I took up the matter with the staff council and, surprisingly, got a positive reaction,” she said.
It was a case of making up for lost ground, and towards this endeavour the college started putting banners and posters (2007 onwards) all over the North Campus that screamed: 'Sports Quota Open for Girl Candidates'.
{{/usCountry}}It was a case of making up for lost ground, and towards this endeavour the college started putting banners and posters (2007 onwards) all over the North Campus that screamed: 'Sports Quota Open for Girl Candidates'.
{{/usCountry}}“The campaign became very big last year and going by the positive response from students, we decided to repeat it this year as well,” Gupta said.
Starting 2005, the college has taken in approximately 10-12 students every year and the benefits are for all to see. Today, KMC boasts of “competent and complete” basketball and badminton teams. The college also has a chess team though trials to it are yet to be held.
Doubts, if any, on scaling down of quality are quickly dispelled by Gupta.
“We maybe giving special weightage to girls but we are not diluting the eligibility criteria,” she said.