NEW DELHI: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepares to visit Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on Teachers’ Day, the north campus institution has gone into high gear, with students documenting every change in real time.
From freshly filled potholes to new saplings lining internal roads, particularly near the entry where the Prime Minister is expected to enter, preparations are underway “in full mode,” as students describe it.
Several took to Instagram and X to post reels pointing out how long-pending maintenance work, from potholes to overgrown patches, is being addressed days before the high-profile visit.
“Things that were ignored for months are suddenly being fixed,” a student said, adding that the clean-up drive has become a talking point across batches.
Access to the event has been formalised through Google forms circulated among students, with entry expected to be tightly controlled. According to those on campus, the college’s sports complex where the interaction is likely to take place has been partially restricted, limiting regular student movement, till September 5. No outsiders will be allowed at the event unless they have filled out the registration form or have been issued special invitations.
Security presence has also intensified. One of the SRCC students said, “In terms of preparations, the college has been witnessing a substantial amount of army and CRPF personnel. Teams from Delhi Police have also been conducting frequent checks, coordinating logistics and reviewing entry-exit points.”
Beyond the official arrangements, what stands out is how students are framing the moment. Social media feeds are filled with sarcastic and humorous takes, a distinctly Gen Z response juxtaposing “before” and “after” visuals of the campus.
Soon after the news spread on Wednesday evening about the PM’s visit to SRCC on September 5, his videos from 2013, when he had addressed the students at the same college campus as the then Gujarat chief minister, went viral on social media. It was reportedly his first public address in the city after winning the Gujarat assembly polls.
The Prime Minister has engaged with students across IITs and central universities over the years, but his appearances at DU have been rare, making the SRCC visit a notable campus comeback.