How to Apply for Provisional Certificate for PhD in Delhi University

I needed provisional PhD certificate to apply for Post-doc. I got things wrong initially. So I am writing this so that those who want provisional certificate do not have to repeat the mistake I made or waste their time trying to find out how to do things. 

During the BA days, we would go to the admin counter and pay the fees in cash. Now fee payment is done online. Well, to cut short, to apply for PhD provisional certificate pay the fee here, this is the misc section. 

But first you need to get a form from the admin block. Then register yourself in the link provided above. To register, you need a university roll number. This roll number is not the enrolment number. Well, you may ask how come a PhD student has a roll number. Yes, we were not assigned a roll number by the Department. And for that, you would need to go to the Department's office, and ask the official to assign you a roll number. Once you've that, you can register yourself. Then login to pay the fees. Take two print outs of the fee receipt, and go to the admin block of DU to submit the form as well as the fee payment receipt. 

This is simple. But if don't know in which page of DU website, you are to register yourself and then pay the fee, you'b be lost. DU website has so many pages where you may pay fees. And getting the right page will save lot of time. Now things may change in the coming years. But for 2018, this is the pattern and I guess this will stay for some years. 

Reversing Pre-Diabetes 2

In the previous post, I shared my experience about the result of the tests for my sugar level. On 18th of June, I went for the test once more. The result for test turned out to be like this: 

99 for Glucose Fasting. 

89 for Post-Meal. 

Normal range for fasting is: 70-100

Normal range for Post-meal is: 70-140. 

The figures of 99 and 89 are within the normal range. Of course, Post-meal should normally be higher than that of fasting. However, the good thing is that the figures are within the normal range. 

It is after seven months of dieting and exercise that my pre-diabetic status is reversed to the normal range. Three months later I shall check to see if the fasting level will dip further. I want it to come down little more, and also get post-meal figure go up further.

I am adding this section on 5th October 2018. I did not want to put up another post just for this additional piece. But for those doing research on diabetes this may be something to research on.

On 18th August, 2018, I checked my sugar (fasting). It was 100. I did not check for post-meal. I went to the lab to get it checked, just I have been doing on previous occasions. So it's sounds okay.

Around Sept 20th, I checked my sugar level (fasting). This time it was from someone doing it with a test strip. It showed 102. But it was around this time that I began running in the morning. All those days I have been running in the evening. The first two days I began to run in the morning, I felt so tired thought I ran only for around 5 km. On 16th Sept. I had a 15 km race, and so I have trained to be able to run without much difficulty. I could finish it fairly easily. I felt I could have done 21 km as well. The reason I am saying this is that running 5 km is not difficult, but that morning I found it hard. And the reason was because I did it in empty stomach -- my body did not have enough energy. (For evening training, I would eat something before I run).

So after that I started to take a bite before I begin to run. So 1st Oct. I ran 5 km, and also on 3rd Oct. I did 10.5 km. Both in the morning. I had something before I began, and I did not feel so tired. I guess it was because I've eaten something plus my body has got used to drawing energy from the liver. Even when I was running in the evening, it must be drawing from the liver specially when I ran 10.5 km or 12 km. After all running 10.5 would burn more than 1000 calories, as per what the app shows.

On 5th Oct. morning. I went to do workout, not run, because I wanted to run 10.5 km on 6th Oct. These days I am reducing the frequeny of run as I am giving rest to my body; I will begin to train for full marathon a ten days later.  But what surprised me was that as I checked my sugar level (fasting) with the test strip, it showed 119. How is this possible?

Is it because my liver is automatically preparing me to do morning run by dumping sugar in my blood? Even when my weight was 87 kg, the sugar (fasting) was 114. Now I am 74.5 kg, and my sugar fasting is showing 119. How is this possible?

It seems to me that the idea of liver dumping sugar in my blood to prepare me for the morning run is a plausible explanation. However, to establish the idea, one would need a bigger sample.

So whether for those whose fasting sugar level is on the borderline, morning run could spike the sugar level or it would not is something that would require further research.


On 2 Feb. 2019, I checked my sugar (fasting), it showed 97.  I have continued to run an at average of 5 times a week. And each running duration would average 45 minutes. (Updated on 2nd February, 2019.)

On 21st May, 2019 I checked my HbA1C, which tested the sugar level for the last three months. It showed 5.5. The normal range is 4 to 5.6. So 5.5 is within the normal range. This shows that pre-diabetes is reversible. 

Reversing Prediabetes 1

Before I begin to explain how I brought down my sugar level, let me show the data of the tests that I took during the last six months. 

In November, during winter, one night I got up thrice to pee during the night. Getting up two times have been there for sometime, but getting up thrice happened just once. In the morning I told my wife about getting up thrice to pee, so my wife who is a medical doctor, advised me to get my sugar checked. These are the results of the tests that followed: 

November 20th, 2017: 114 (Fasting);  94 (Post-breakfast) 

January 21st, 2018: 114 (Fasting); 94 (Post-breakfast) 

February 21st: 108 (Fasting)

March 21st: 102 (Fasting)

April 21st: 104 (Fasting)

May 24th: 98 (Fasting); 67 (Post-breakfast)

For Fasting, the normal range should be: 70-100; And for post-meal, the normal range should be: 70-140. This is what the lab from which I got the test done says. 

Looking at the figure, for fasting it comes down to the normal range (98) only during May, 2018, as it within 70-100. But for same month of May, the post-meal figure at 67 is below the normal range as it outside of 70-140. However, for fasting figure to bring it down from 114 to 98, it took me six months. I was told that post-meal figure at 67 is ok. Let's see how it comes for June. 

But I want to share how the figure for fasting comes down to 98 from 114. 

As I learnt that my fasting sugar is on the higher side, I started light exercise - running for a kilometre every alternate day. Even before that I used to walk almost every evening for 20 minutes or so. But now I added running to my routine. Yet I did not diet at all. I continued to eat as much red meat as I used to eat before. And what happened is that even two months later, there was no change at all in my sugar level. 

From the third week of January, after realising that my sugar level was as high as before, I started an even more rigorous running routine. I increased the distance for my running, which means increasing the amount of time in running. Also I started taking less amount of food, cutting out 2/5 of the quantity of the food. I divide the usual three meals into four small meals, making dinner the smallest meal. That way my sugar level during the night will not spike. Doing these things brought the sugar level  for fasting down from 114 to 98.

Today I run around 4-5 kilometres at least 5 times a week.

One of my concerns today is, given that my post-meal sugar is at 67, if I run for, say, 8 kilometre would it reduce the level of sugar in my bloodstream to 60 or even 50? I am told that it's not good for sugar level to good down below 60.

Depending on what result June test shows, I plan to make further changes in my lifestyle.