Language is seen as the most basic function of human existence. Whether it is verbal language, sign language, body language, we can’t seem to survive without this system of communication. Going one step further, several schools of feminism have argued that the very conception and evolution of language is patriarchal in its construction and reflects the sexist and misogynist attitudes of the society at large. They argue that the creation of language structures, which seem value neutral on a superficial level, have hidden patriarchal meanings which can be found once one delves deeper.
Words like ‘hysteria’ are thrown as abuses on women. Hysteria, which the Victorian Age mannerism defined as a trait typical to women, perceives the ‘eccentricities’ of women as madness and labels them as mental disorders that need to be ‘cured’. Some Psychoanalysts have interpreted these behavior traits as outcomes of female anxiety in a male dominant set up, however the patriarchal structure by labeling them as hysteria classifies these traits as stereotypical and insulting. The word hysteria comes from the latin word ‘hyster’ which means womb; something very specific to women.
Take the the word ‘seminal’, it means something of high relevance and importance. For example, a seminal article, a seminal work of research; we prefix the word seminal to something to significance. The word comes from the term ‘semen’, which is an essentially male fluid, thereby reiterating the gendered meaning of words.
Even in our general usage of language, we don’t realize how we begin to reflect faulty socio-cultural realities. For example, ‘katori’ is a smaller utensil, whereas ‘katora’ becomes the bigger size of the same kind of utensil. Similarly, ‘chamchi’ and ‘chamcha’- how the stronger, tough, big in size objects immediately become masculine in nature whereas smaller, petite items are the coy, feminine aspects.
What is the need of the hour is to think about these subtle hints of sexism and make sure they don’t affect our thinking, and make a conscious attempt to not perpetuate gender stereotyping.
“Do you know my child, back in my day…”, how many times have you been trapped into a conversation with an adult who began a rant about his glory days with this exact same sentence? Let me guess: you lost count, right? You can’t really blame them though now can we? With a future so uncertain, it is our past that we fondly cling to and hope to relive. That said (and since we are not getting any younger ourselves), I have compiled a list of retro games that is guaranteed to send you in a wild trip to the beautiful city of Nostalgia-Ville. And just so I can make you feel terribly old, I will mention the year when these games were published.
Prince of Persia (1989)
Counter Strike (1999)
Midtown Madness 2 (1999)
1. Prince of Persia (1989): The original Prince of side-scrolling platform games. Admit it. You loved every hateful moment when the 8-bit prince fell off ledges, was impaled by spikes, got his butt incinerated by fire pits, squashed by closing walls, stabbed by some random guy in a turban. I don’t remember anyone ever actually completing the game.
2. Midtown Madness (1999): When you see a draw bridge pulling up, what do you do? A) Slow down and come to a stop or B) Just ram the accelerator and use the raising platform as a ramp for the most spectacular stunt jump ever? If you chose the latter, then you have probably played this game. Midtown Madness, unlike every other racing game, did not limit you to the tracks but gave you an large, open, functioning, city to wreck havoc in.
3. Wolfenstein 3D (1992): Revisit the era where you killed Nazis before you learnt about World War or even knew how to spell the bloody word. This game is so old that all you might probably remember was the pixeleted gore, your parents’ worried faces when they saw you take delight in a killing spree with a mini-gun and that funny moustache guy. Yes. THE funny moustache guy.
4. Serious Sam – The Second Encounter(2002): “Give a man a bullet and he’ll want a gun. Give a man a gun and he will be giving bullets away.” Where can you get such an inspirational quote if not from Serious Sam, a man who preaches from the barrel of his fully loaded mini-gun? This game had what every 12 year old wanted – absolutely mindless violence. So what are you waiting for? Go kick some alien guts again!!!
5. Project I.G.I (2000): This tactical shooter came as quite a surprise. It was too polished a game for its time and had guns that actually sounded like guns (somewhat) and did not go ‘pew-pew-pew’. One of the most popular shooters back in the days, it coined the catch phrase – “I am going in.”
6. Medal of Honour – Allied Assault (2002): Unlike Wolfenstein, by the time you got to play this, you probably got the idea about what a ‘Nazi’ was. Or not, as the case may be. This first person shooter was the only WWII game I seem to recall where I was shooting down antique planes, running away from the intimidating Tiger tank, throwing a ‘frag’ in a room full of ‘baddies’, sighing in relief after finding a ‘medi pack’ when my health was dangerously close to zero…ahh the history (pun intended)!
7. Counter Strike (1999): The first multiplayer you ever played and loved. The reason why you “borrowed” money from your dad so you could go with your friends to the nearest Cybercafe and hook up a LAN session. Come on now. Show the kids of today why everyone in you locality called you “The Headshot King”.
8. Pokemon Red and Blue (1999): Almost every kid who got this game can relate to how much agony the very first decision I was pushed to make – Charmander or Squirtel? (i.e.Charizard or Blastoise?) I mean, seriously! What were the game developers thinking putting such a crucial decision into the hands of a kid, who had watched every episode of Pokemon and adored these pokemons? How could one child choose between two icons? Oh, did someone choose Bulvasaur? Seriously? Why?
9. Super Mario (1985): The original badass. How many people you know can shatter bricks with their head, jump enormous gaps in a single bound, shoot fireballs from his hands, eat mushrooms that grow from odd places, hold their breath underwater infinitely, scour fortresses to defeat dragon/turtle hybrid to save a freaking mushroom guy who tells you that the princess is in the next castle only to find the same guy again every f*@#ing time?
10. Age of Empires 2 – Age of Kings: “Hololo” Boom! Your Moslem Castle is now converted to a French Catholic! “Holololo” Pow! The guy you shot on the face with your ballista is now fully healed. Age of Empires. A game that transcended age and logic. A classic. A point and click strategy game that had you playing for hours at end, collecting resources and forginh empires. Now that you are drowning in the sea of nostalgia, can somebody please tell me – “How do you turn this on?”
11. Contra (1987): You see your partner lying down cold and dead near you and you are down to your last life, all the while the nefarious ‘boss’ is laughing at your imminent termination. You move left to dodge a bullet only to find a wave of laser beam shooting down from that direction. You leap, tuck and roll. The boss gurgles in delight, amused by your pointless acrobatics. But suddenly you see a ‘bonus’ float in the sky. You shoot it and down falls a mini-gun. You smirk. The Boss is not laughing anymore.
12. Grand Theft Auto – Vice City (2002): Every kid in town has played this. And why not? It has guns, bullets, bombs, babes, cars, attack helicopters and more guns. And remarkably, your rocket launcher could fit in your pants. Many have sank countless hours in causing nothing but total anarchy in this game. Nobody gave a damn about completing the campaign, all everyone wanted to do was get a concubine in their car and shoot her to get the money back. Whoops! Did I say that out loud?
13. Diablo 2 (2000): The RPG game that kept every fanboy/girl tossing and turning at night, wondering “Should I spend my gold on that armour or that sword?” I had spent a considerable amount of time mulling over issues such as distributing skill points, choosing the perfect perks, developing my character, making sure I was well stocked in potions and antidotes before I tried to tackle a dungeon. *Sigh* Those memories…
14. Age of Mythology (2002): The lesser cousin of Age of Empire. That is how I recall this game. Yet it was fun to play this game. You can never really get enough of games where you click on little men, order them to do build stuff, tell them to produce more men, tell them to kill someone else, unleash destructive wrath if some mortal displeases you….yea that’s what being a God is like in a nutshell.
15. Baldur’s Gate (1989): This game was one of my all time favourite RPGs. Based on the modified version of the gold old Pen and Paper D&D game rules, this game was a huge success. Unfortunately, it was mostly unheard of in our part of the world during the time of its release. Why Then did I put this game in the list you ask? Because it is a brilliant old school RPG with ton of flexibility and replayability options that you must play to make up for the good times you have missed as a kid.
The Department of Economics, Dyal Singh College recently hosted Campus Connect, a TEDxGateway initiative in their college. The guest speaker was Mr Vicky Roy, a highly acclaimed international photographer.
Roy started off his speech by giving the students a glimpse into his early life and childhood. He seemed to remember every detail by heart, which he very generously and honestly shared. He had a very difficult upbringing and lived in a state of despair with his grandparents, from where he eventually ran away, ending up in Delhi. He stayed at a shelter home, lived on platforms, rag-picked and finally found himself under the solace of an NGO named ‘Salaam Baalak Trust’. He matriculated and decided to pursue photography as a career because he wanted to explore the world. Under the guidance of various mentors, he traveled the world, understood the nuances of the skill and captured precious moments with his camera. His first job offered him a humble paycheck of Rs. 3000/- per month as an assistant to a Delhi-based photographer and soon he found himself achieving new heights on global platforms. He swept New York, Manhattan, Bahrain, London and every other corner of the world with his touching work and won many accolades. The way he talked truly reflected upon his humble and calm demeanor which took all of the students by awe.
Roy has successfully completed projects like ‘Street Dreams’ and ‘Home Street Home’ that have earned him wide popularity across the globe. He even photo-documented the reconstruction of The World Trade Center in New York City. Coming back to his home, Delhi, he established a library consisting of books solely on photography as he aims to widen his reach to the younger, aspiring photographers who cannot afford these expensive books which his library provides free of cost.
At the end of his speech, students were given an opportunity to ask him questions which he readily answered, underlying his honest motive of earning a lot of money while traveling the whole world whilst changing people’s perceptions towards slum children, reflecting upon his story from rags-to-riches. This session was really inspiring and healthy, motivating the young audience to pursue their dreams.
It is a known fact that education in commerce, in Delhi University and elsewhere, demands sky-high marks in board exams. It is also a known fact that students pursuing Commerce walk away with some of the best pay packages from some of the best firms in the business. But contrary to popular belief, a graduation in commerce does not leave one restricted to the corporate world with an MBA or a CA qualification as the only career options. Students of commerce can, and should, be open to other options as well, both in the world of commerce and finance and beyond.
Law
Law, as a career, has been a sought-after one of late. It is a well-paying field with opportunities both in the public and the private sector. For graduates of Commerce, corporate law would seem to be the best option if one wants to step into the legal sector but at the same time, a degree in Commerce is no hindrance if one wants to get into any other branch of law.
Entrepreneurship
Often known as a feasible option only for those with financial back-up, entrepreneurship is about knowing how to make a venture successful. Yes, it entails starting from scratch but for students of Commerce, this should be made slightly easier owing to the fact that their entry into the world as entrepreneurs (if they so wish) will be based on a sound knowledge of how to make things work. Moreover, entrepreneurship allows one to venture into any field that one wants to.
Corporate Communications
While this might sound like a part of the 9 to 5 life again, corporate communications is more than just marketing and crisis management; creative fields like Advertising and Public Relations are also part of it. And the ad industry is a major, major part of the media industry. So, if one has the flair for creativity coupled with a sense of business, this is the way to go. Communications Management is quite in vogue too.
Civil Services
In a country like ours, the civil services are never going to lose their popularity. It is what a large number of graduates aspire towards. And while it is common for these aspirants to have taken up liberal arts subjects like History and Philosophy in college, there is no dearth of doctors and engineers, and yes, Commerce graduates, making it to the top. In fact, Commerce & Accountancy is an option for the Mains.
The Academia Way
An M.Com, M.Phil and PhD are not things of the past for a student of Commerce, academia continues to bring opportunities to commerce graduates and post-graduates, especially so with the mushrooming of B-Schools. And like law, the job sector spans the public and the private.
Arts
A Commerce graduate can always pursue a post-graduation in Arts, if she or he has the desire and the aptitude to do so. Almost every university of good repute in the country holds entrance exams for M.A. courses. Hence, it is about the aptitude and not about giving leverage to some courses over others.
Journalism
A commerce graduate can potentially become an excellent corporate journalist if they have the requisite spark and flair in them. While some Universities only admit journalism graduates to their PG journalism programmes, some do not impose such restrictions. Numerous diploma courses and private training programmes by media houses themselves are also open for commerce graduates.
The Job Sector
As mentioned earlier, Commerce graduates can walk away with jaw-dropping packages even before the completion of their graduate degree. There’s banking and finance, there’s marketing and business development, there’s human resource and talent acquisitions and much more.
In conclusion, no degree should restrict somebody from pursuing what one wants to. A commerce graduate can be a successful chef and a liberal arts student can make a great manager just as well. If you must know, Hrithik Roshan, too, is a commerce graduate.
