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September 10, 2014

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In a bizarre turn of events, Delhi University has decided that DUSU contenders will be sent to Bigg Boss’ house, through which the Union will be selected this year. Reportedly, the last 4 candidates to remain un-evicted in the house will be declared winners of the election.

“Once you’re elected, DUSU is all about being popular, sitting on your butt and getting paid for it. Co-incidentally, that’s also what Bigg Boss is about. Thus this move came to our minds naturally. It will be the perfect training,” said a senior DU official.

Many candidates are depressed. A few can be spotted blankly mumbling “so please vote and support” to themselves around campus. A student reported that his classmate, who is a DUSU candidate, has been littering his house with posters and cards of himself in utter despair.

The change of process is also aimed at increasing voter turnout; a front DUSU elections have always weak at. Some students, however, are concerned about the carrots they are fed by political parties every year. “I hope this does not mean I will not get free movie tickets and popcorn vouchers,” a worried student told us.

The creators of Bigg Boss, if no one else, are busy preparing for the extravaganza. Sources say that the signature baritone of Bigg Boss will be heard voicing relevant messages like “Bigg Boss chaahte hai ki aap protest karke dikhaye”. DU offered its own website for the purpose of online voting but the proposal was laughed off by the creators.

Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news.

The desire to innovate is something that most of us harbor but Anshul Gupta of SRCC held on to his entrepreneurial pursuit to turn his dream into reality. His enterprise ‘Fabence’ emerged from his desire to create something new coupled with the identification of a problem that he faced and wanted to solve.

Fabence aims to empower users by allowing them to shop for products in extremely innovative and new ways by focusing on the daily problems they face. The approach they followed was simple, they identified problems that consumers faced on a daily basis and solved them using data oriented approach underpinned by technology and innovative designs.

Fabence is India’s first personalized fashion discovery engine and shopping assistant. It has introduced many firsts in the market by focusing on personalization underpinned by data oriented approach – offering unique features such as ‘Shop with friends’ that allows users to search and discover products together on one platform, therefore, replicating the whole offline experience online.

Addressing the basic problem of not having a fashion stylist with you 24/7, Fabence has created an in-built fashion stylist, which is an intelligence-based system that suggests clothing and accessories specifically matched to the shopper’s physical attributes (body type and complexion) depending on the shopper’s search preference. The website further enables the user to suggest a product to a friend via Facebook or email, with just the click of a button.

On being asked about the challenges he faced as a college student with respect to his enterprise, Anshul highlighted, “the biggest challenge was convincing myself to take the plunge of starting up. The next major hurdle was assembling the right team that would stand by through the journey.”

The team at Fabence believes that the website will only grow with time and they plan to stimulate this growth in the near future through a well-planned road-map. Check out the website here, www.fabence.com
Or visit the Facebook Page, here.

Featured Image Source: www.fabence.com

Most of us can agree that the first two years of college are spent trying out a multitude of activities while settling down in college and finding one’s niche. The third and final year, in my opinion should be used to focus on one or two big projects while helping out juniors and imparting ‘nuggets of wisdom’! So as a dutiful third year student, here are 10 things I’ve learnt during my first two years in DU:

1.Take up at least one activity that gets you talking to people you don’t know.

Whether it’s joining the Sponsorship department of a college event or joining the placement cell, do something that forces you to call, email or have face to face conversations with as many new people as possible. We’re going to be doing a lot of that for the rest of our lives, so we might as well get over the awkwardness that often comes with it.

2. From time to time, attend events that have nothing to do with your field of study.

Sit in the audience for that B Plan competition even if you’re  an English major. Or better yet, compete in one. Attend a seminar on the Israel-Palestinian conflict even if you study Zoology. They are easy ways to get exposed to a diverse range of topics and learn about new fields. You’re in a place like DU, where there’s some seminar, event or panel discussion going on every other day- make full use of these opportunities. (Check out our Events Calendar for some inspiration.)

3.The internet is beautiful. Try using it for things apart from Facebook every now and then.

Yes, it’s easy to get carried away while looking at albums of 200+ pictures from a party someone on our list threw (and didn’t invite us to), but it’s a shame if that’s all we end up using the internet for! Follow a couple of interesting blogs, get on Quora, reach out to alumni from your college through LinkedIn and set up a Google Alert to make sure you don’t miss the application dates for that fellowship you’ve been eyeing. (And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!)

4. It’s perfectly okay if you don’t know what you want to do, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do anything.

Most of us, (yes, even third year students) are still figuring out what we want to do. College gives ample space to try out a variety of activities. Even if you haven’t found ‘your thing’ in college yet, don’t give up. Give multiple activities a shot, find what you like doing, and then get really good at it.

5. It may sound rather simplified, but you make your own college experience.

Regardless of your college and the ‘tag’ that comes with it, your attitude and actions create your college experience, or at least a major chunk of the same. Sure, maybe opportunities are more easily accessible for students of certain colleges, but there is no dearth of opportunities for those who are willing to go the extra mile to seek them.

6. Help out your juniors and ask your seniors to tell you about their college experiences.

Freshers are a rather enthusiastic bunch and always bubbling with a lot of questions about societies, internships, exams and further studies. If you know something useful, help them out. Also take out the time to befriend a couple of seniors and ask them to tell you tales of what they’ve learnt in college.

7. Don’t burn bridges unnecessarily and don’t be ‘that guy’.

Making mean and hurtful comments may seem like a good idea in the moment, but it’s best not to burn bridges if it can be avoided. You know how there’s always that one person in every class who goes out of his/her way to make other people feel bad about themselves? Yeah, don’t be that guy. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone, but maintaining a basic level of courtesy is never a bad idea.

8. Academics are important, but to an extent.

This largely depends on what your plans for the future are (for example, if you want to get into Harvard or research, then yes, academics are supremely important), but for the most part, maintaining a ‘decent’ percentage while getting your hands into other activities can help you lead a balanced college life. This target score, of course, varies from course to course.

For example, most entrance exams for post graduate courses require a bare minimum of 50% in graduation, and some top notch companies only interview candidates with more than 75% aggregate during placement. Keep all these factors in mind, and set your goals accordingly.

9. Show up for your friends.

If your college or school friend is acting in a play, go and support them in the audience. If they’re organizing a competition or exhibition during a fest, go and attend it. These small gestures matter a lot, especially when everyone is always busy and has conflicting schedules. This is definitely something I wish I had done more of.

10. Go on a trip with your friends while in college…at least once.

Depending on your budget and how easily you can convince your parents, select a place and go there with your college friends. Whether it’s for a competition at an IIT, or even a weekend in Agra, it’ll definitely be one of the highlights of your college life. Hill stations, Bombay and Goa are the most popular choices for DU kids.

Featured Image Credits: www.collegetimes.com

Q. Dear Amma. My girlfriend is pretty religious. It took me some time to convince her to go physical with me, and eventually she agreed. However, the first time we did it, she was chanting bhajans.. I didn’t say anything, thinking she’s scared. The next time though, she started playing them on her phone. It was weird, to be honest. I talked to her about it and she said it turns her on and she can’t get into the mood without it.. Well, what?!? It makes me really uncomfortable, but I don’t complain because the sex is great. I’m so confused. Help!
A. Oh so you’ve landed a Meera, my confused idli. Amma has heard that religion is the opium of the world, but this is some next level stuff!
However strange all this might be, I’d suggest you to put up with it. It seems God herself has blessed your sex life. Be grateful and don’t complain!
In order not to be uncomfortable, ask Meera to put on her earphones. That way, she gets her fill of religion and other things, and so do you! And remember, people are strange, as Morrison pointed out. Gotta deal with it!

A group of 120 students chose to be MAD as they walked backwards to push out ‘ill’ from ‘illiteracy’ on the World Literacy Day i.e 8th September. Make A Difference (MAD) and it’s volunteers stood up to promote literacy by gathering up for Back-a-thon, an event that took place in 20 cities where this non-profit organization operates to teach children.

For it’s Delhi chapter, Back-a-thon witnessed the literacy drive at GTB Nagar adjoining the University area. Delhi University has given such teachers and volunteers to MAD who have contributed towards enlightening the lives of these children. With six centres in Delhi, MAD teaches about 500-600 kids under the guidance of 300 teachers with a teacher-student ratio of 1:2.

[caption id="attachment_25871" align="aligncenter" width="721"]Make A Difference promotes literacy on World Literacy Day Make A Difference promotes literacy on World Literacy Day[/caption]
#We are on our way, Illiteracy go away!

The final backward movement underwent a lot of trial runs to teach the new people who joined  for the cause. The group called in attention by various slogans.

#Light up the dark Literacy is our spark!

The event managed to be successful within the group participating the march as it failed to gather much support from the spectators. Jaesica Chandan, Public Relations fellow for MAD said, “Our main target was youth. But due to the election period we couldn’t get permissions for Vishwavidyala station which would have helped us garner more support.”

#Light up the sky. Illiteracy has to die!

With maximum slogans in English, the working class in GTB Nagar couldn’t understand the concept. Kaustabhi, Director-Operation says, “This event was not a rally. This was just our way of expressing that we choose to be mad, our way of saying that we are mad but not crazy.” A few people were attracted in the end as they came forward and asked about the programme and MAD.

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Back-a-Thon was conducted without obstructing any traffic and in a peaceful manner. Ishita, Incharge for MAD Delhi says, “We are overwhelmed with the response we got. It was a very successful event. I thank everyone who was part of Back-a-Thon. Ill will be pushed out of Illiteracy.”

Image Gallery Credits: Chirag Sharma Feature Image Credits: Iresh Gupta

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The whole world is geared up to witness the future of gaming – the launch of Destiny. While most are excited, some are sceptical and the rest in denial – Destiny is destined to create massive ripples in the immense ocean of gaming. But why?

The buzz is partly due to its investment. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End  was estimated to be the most expensive movie ever, having a budget of $300 million. Destiny is a video-game with a whopping budget of $500 million (almost twice as GTA 5)! As is obvious, it is the most expensive video-game ever!

Apart from the economics, there are nostalgic reasons as well. Even if you are a moderate gamer, the name Halo would ring a few bells. Halo is the 3rd most popular gaming franchise, claiming to have sold over 3 billion copies! You may even be aware of the Call of Duty franchise as well – the bestselling videogame franchise ever (9 billion copies)! Halo’s developer studio Bungie & COD’s publisher Activision have teamed up to build this video-game masterpiece –Destiny.

However the real reason for the hysteria, is the game itself! The game aspires to fuse many diverse video-gaming genres into on virtual universe where players can interact with one another as they complete their missions. With magnificent VFX & futuristic gameplay,  It’s a synthesis of FPS & RPG gaming.

 

“The story is set 700 years in the future, where intergalactic colonization is prevalent.  Players need to choose their character from three castes – titan, warlock or hunter- each with its own skills and talents.”
 

You can personalize your character, learn new abilities and collect weapons as you go around. Gamers across the world need to work together to counter the evil aliens and protect humanity.

The biggest strength of the game is its visual appeal. Along with mind blowing graphics the game features a well-developed virtual infrastructure – the locations will take your breath away (Trust me!). Also, the game blends Halo’s action with the customizations of World of Warcraft – it’s delicious!

The game is available on PlayStation (3, 4) & Xbox (360, One). To add to the hysteria, even at a price tag of $60 (Rs 4000 in India) it has become the most preordered game ever! Hailed as “Game of the Decade”, Destiny will reach the stores on 9th September.

So pick up your controllers and get ready for battle, see what Destiny holds for you!

Game On.

Delhi University is always looking out for news about its alumnus since it is not only great to hear about the achievements of people we consider our own but it also inspires us, as students, to always aspire for more. A recent addition to this, is that of Mr. Sunil Chopra who is the first Indian to become Mayor of the London Borough of Southwark where only a 1.5% people of Indian-origin reside is an alumni of College of Vocational Studies, CVS.
Mr. Chopra started out with a retail business and then moved forward into wholesale business along with being a Founder Trustee of the Southwark Hindu Centre. He was elected as the Deputy Mayor last year and after a re-election in May as a Labour Councillor, he was elected as the Mayor and took formal charge from June, earlier this year.
In his opening speech Chopra talked about the introduction of Robes Project under which temporary accommodation is provided to the homeless. He not only brings more representation for the Indians but also brings in ideas with an Indian touch to better the society and economy.

Mr. Chopra was a student of the College of Vocational Studies of Delhi University. Since his University days he was known for his interest in politics and had contemporaries like Arun Jaitley, Vijay Goel, Sudhanshu Mittal and Anand Sharma. He was the Vice-President of the Youth Congress of Delhi and the President of NSUI during his student days.
“Being part of Delhi University student politics helped me while contesting elections here. I was groomed by people like Ambika Soni and the late Deepak Malhotra (former NSUI General Secretary, Principal of Dayal Singh College)”, he told Hindustan Times from the office of Mayor.

Image source: www.london-se1.co.uk

Milaap.org is an online fundraising platform that was started by three passionate, young entrepreneurs in June 2010. The organization’s main aim is to change the way people fund and impact communities in need by enabling individuals to make a difference in a very transparent, accountable and sustainable manner.

At Milaap, it is not about investing in charity but about investing in business and trade. A very innovative step taken by them is a system through which one can see profiles of people who need funds for various purposes. One can even choose whom she or he wants to fund. The total fund raised goes directly to the beneficiaries; here the money is given not as donations but as loans with affordable interest. Beneficiaries repay the loans in small installments every month; and every month there is an update made on repayment. That is how the entire sum is repaid to the organization. Milaap has also received support from institutions like the Dell Foundation, the Montpelier Foundation, DBS Bank and National Skill Development Corporation.

Not only is it effective, this organization is also credited for being remarkably impactful. Milaap has cumulatively disbursed 10.25 crore in loans and impacted over 50,000 lives. Currently, over 10,000 individuals have invested via Milaap.

Millaap has a simple yet endearingly impactful mission. It wishes to reach out to more people who can help it serve better and become part of its fundraising organization. At Milaap, you can give loans for basic needs of people like drinking water connections, toilets, solar lighting or for job-linked skills training as well as providing working capital for small businesses.

If you want to bring in a timely, effective, and remarkable change by helping the society through a powerful platform under the guidance of a proper and diligent organization- Millaap is just the organization to join.

Image source: www.milaap.org

Surbhi Sharma
[email protected]