This year, the Women's Development Centre (W.D.C.), now also known as the Family Counselling Centre (F.C.C.), has been quite active particularly in the area of confidential counselling. Besides performing its usual functions, the centre worked on two sets of agenda : one of the Central Social Welfare Board (C.S.W.B.) which supports the centre financially and the other of the need for understanding gender related issues raised by students from time to time. Among different activities, a few were exceptional in their impact by way of opening up new ways of thinking on what is accepted as 'customary' or 'natural'. The workshop on MASCULINITY conducted by noted theatre activist, Feizal Alkazi was a major activity which demolished myths and barriers surrounding gender identity through interactive participation of our students.

The first public screening of It is a Boy, a documentary by an upcoming media activist, Vani Subramanian, was held before a large audience of teachers and students. The presence of the filmmaker was an important part of the activity, because of the integrated discussion session which followed the screening. To celebrate the Women’s Day, inter college competitions were held to provide an opportunity for our students to host and organize a series of events like Extempore, Poster Painting and Slogan Writing focusing on the theme of sex selection and declining sex ratio. The Domestic Violence Act was discussed from time to time with students. The generally felt need for more information on the Act and its practical modalities led to a round table discussion-cum-lecture by Lena Aggarwal, a lawyer activist.

A General Body meeting of the staff and students was convened for the specific purpose of understanding the Delhi University Sexual Harassment Policy. A health talk was also organized for girls to address questions and doubts pertaining to their bodies. The President of W.D.C, Sweta Kaushal, initiated a Blood Donation Camp which attracted nearly sixty donors in the short span of three hours. Through this camp it was also discovered that a large number of girls suffered from anaemia- a condition that is directly related to deficiency in appropriate nourishment. This is often the result of discrimination against girls prevalent in average households. If the academic calendar exercises its structural limitations on the planning of activities, it poses no limits to the demands on counselling. The college counsellor, Anjali Sinha, is sought after by different members of the college community for her valuable guidance on personal, career related, college specific situations which at times go beyond single face-to-face sessions. The Counsellor is most often accessed over telephone, which rejects the notion of "working only during office hours", reiterating the importance of a support centre like the F.C.C/W.D.C.

The Teacher Co-ordinators : Shashi Khurana and Neerja Singh, deserve all praise for their committed involvement in realiging the objectives of the centre.