November 17, 2014

Bazinga: DU to reduce attendance requirement?

By DU Beat November 17, 2014

In a recent application filed by the students to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, the students of Delhi University have proposed a change in the percentage of attendance required. At present the required attendance is 65-67 percent in most colleges. This overburdens the students and many of them have stated that they cannot maintain such a percentage and study at the same time, especially during exam fever.

An outstation student recently spoke to one of our correspondents and said that too many classes are taken as some of the teachers suddenly decide to postpone and the rearrange the classes one after another. By the end of the day they are dog tired and adherence to regular studies goes for a toss. On being asked if the proposed change is for the good, a DU student said, “Definitely, the pressure on students will be less and academic performance will improve. The will to study decreases if you are forced.” No arguments there.

On being asked for views, one DU teacher said, “It is not only the students who feel overburdened. We have duties too. Tests and taking assignments for internals take up a lot of time. Classes have to be shifted when students cannot make it. A relaxation will be relief for both sides.” But this appears to be an isolated opinion. On being asked the same question, most of the teachers, barring the few amazing exceptions of course, stated that this is an escape from studies. “If students do not even attend lectures it is foolish to think that they will remember too study. Moreover, how are they planning to finish their courses in time? I tell you, nothing good is going to come out this’’ they said.

With such a firm and logical stance against the proposal, one would feel sorry for the students’ brave effort. But students have already come up with an answer to that question. One of the students who went to submit the proposal spoke to one of our writers. She said that the courses will be completed through online lectures uploaded on the University website. The syllabus will first be divided into parts and only some selected lectures (which will be decided by the students) will be uploaded. For the rest of the syllabus, student will attend lectures. However well thought out this radical new proposal may be, the University’s decision will forever seal the fate of the students. Now whether their fate is inside the classroom or outside remains to be seen.

Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news! Featured image credit: www.cvsdu.com

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Top Picks

6 things Delhi University students do in Winter

By Himanshi Bahuguna November 17, 2014

November is halfway through and is being accompanied by a sharp drop in the temperature. Now opinions may differ from person to person about the famous ‘Dilli ki sardi’, but one cannot possibly escape the fun that the short span of winters bring in the otherwise scorching hot weather of Delhi.

Here are a few things which come along the cold:

1. Morning Classes Blues

Yes I know. Half of our population simply dreads the idea of letting go of the heavenly warm morning bed and that too to attend the early morning classes. A bit over sensitive to the cold, the attendance of morning lectures of these people drop faster than the temperature outside.

2. The DU winter break

If you have friends in other universities, you will certainly know how lucky you are to have an extended, nearly a month long break during winters, which most of them don’t get. So while other people are still preparing for exams, we are spending mornings in our beds, lethargically waiting for Christmas and New Year parties.

3. The Wardrobe Woes

One thing that we certainly don’t like is the piling up of fabric when it just gets too cold to handle. The worst feeling is that when you put on your battle shields to fight the weather outside and there always remains some place from where the cold manages to seep inside mocking you right in your face, almost saying, ‘You can’t escape’ with an evil smile.

4. Nescafe jams for coffee

After almost every class, you will find hoards of students jamming the college Nescafe for coffees. Holding the hot elixir in paper cups in your hands is just the best feeling you can get on a chilling foggy day.

5. Daytime outings

Has it not happened a lot of times already, that you want to go out with your friends on an outdoor trip but refrained from doing so because it’s just too hot all the time? Well! Now is coming the best time to explore the monuments, popular gardens and you will not even have to worry about the uncomfortable heat.
Go plan a trip and compile an exclusive winter playlist for it.

6. The evening college dreams

All of a sudden, the life of kids in the evening colleges starts appearing like a paradise. Every time you wake up to that alarm of 6 in the morning, you dream if you were one of those lucky ones too who have the liberty to sleep as long as they wish for.

Featured image credit: www.distrends.com

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Small Screen

5 things to expect from TVD spinoff The Originals: S2

By DU Beat November 17, 2014

The Mikaelson Family is back. And they’re vengeful.

Remember watching Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries (TVD)? That was the first time the world was introduced to an Original Vampire, Niklaus Mikaelson. Then in Season 3, we saw a full house: the one and only Original Vampire Family made their full-fledged appearance.

A little background: The Mikaelson Family is the line of the first vampires in existence. All vampires have descended from them. They are the most powerful vampires in the world. Esther, wife of Mikael, was a dark magic witch who turned her five children, namely Niklaus, Elijah, Rebekah, Finn and Kol into vampires (The Originals).

In season 3 of The Vampire Diaries, The Originals were cleverly brought in to fit the larger scheme of things on the show and take the storyline forward. This introduction had overwhelming results. It did wonders for the show’s TRP. Fans went gaga over Elijah’s noble ways, Klaus’ evil manipulations and Rebekah’s endearing naivety.

The popularity of The Original Family knew no bounds. So much so, that what started off as a gimmick to lure more fans into the TVD network, has today become a self-sufficient sitcom. Premiered on the 14th November 2014 at 10 pm on Zee Café is the much awaited show, ‘The Originals’.

Here is a quick list of what you can expect from this television series:

1. A lot of Hybrid Curse linked story-telling

The trailer of the show depicts Hailey( a hybrid werewolf) telling Klaus(original vampire) that she is carrying his child. Which of course, seems rather unfathomable, considering that both are supernatural creatures. So to validate the possibility, you can expect lot of witch lore coming your way.

2. Tons of good vs evil action

Let’s face it. Even within The Original Family, you have the ever notorious Klaus trying to badger his self-righteous brother Elijah. So one can naturally expect many ‘Klaus- pursuing-evil-path’ and ‘Elijah-thwarting-his-efforts’ scenes.

3. Novel characters, new tales

The plot is distinct from the known storyline of The Vampire Diaries. The first season is supposed to be about The Family returning to New Orleans, a city they built(but had to flee) and recovering it from Marcel. A parallel story that runs alongside is the story of Hailey carrying Klaus’ illegitimate child.

4. More Elijah and Rebekah

In TVD, Klaus was pre-dominantly visible, while Elijah and Rebekah had to make do with lesser limelight. However, because The Originals specifically deals with The Original Family, and there is no fluff( read Damon, Elena and Stefan) for distraction, one can definitely expect more stories based on Elijah and Rebekah’s characters.

5. Exciting Collaborations

Folks, let’s not forget that The Originals is a prequel to The Vampire Diaries. It is not an entirely independent sitcom. As of now, its storyline seems a little limited. So it is but natural for one to expect cameos by The Salvatore Brothers or Elena Gilbert and her group of friends. Furtherance of the turbulent Caroline-Klaus romance shall also remain a wild possibility.

Vampire Lovers, get ready to witness this one hell of a cinematic experience. Here come The Originals to service you with an extra dose of good old Vampire entertainment!

Kriti Sharma
[email protected]

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Indraprastha College for Women

Celebrating Unity and Safety: IP College for Women

By DU Beat November 17, 2014

As all institutions in the national capital organized cultural events to celebrate the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas commemorating the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the students of Indraprastha College for Women drowned themselves in patriotic fervor and infectious enthusiasm as they supported the twin causes of women’s empowerment and safety. The crusade began with the celebrations marking Rashtriya Ekta Divas on 31^st October 2014 beginning with the ‘Run For Unity’. It was a euphoric sight, and the excitement of all the college students was palpable as they ran for the cause, and in the hope that this act might fructify in binding everyone together. This solidarity was visible when everyone, right from the teaching staff, to students, to non-teaching staff pledged allegiance for the cause of national unity through an oath administered by the college principal, Dr Babli Moitra Saraf. Followed by a march past by the NCC cadets, the crowd broke into an applause as the star mountaineer of the college, Saachi Soni, was flagged off with the National flag and college flag for her next ascend to the highest peak in Australia. The students trained under CISF-DMRC demonstrated their skills in a self-defence drill.

The next day was marked by an elaborate ceremony for the culmination of the self-defence training, which was attended by dignitaries like S. Devdutt Singh, DIG, DMRC unit and other officers at CISF, DMRC unit, along with lady constables. Insightful presentations were also shown explaining the security systems and redressal mechanisms in the metro. Everyone agreed that such trainings help to exude confidence if one needs to retaliate in case of an attack. There was exhibition of books about Sardar Patel outside the conference hall. The celebrations culminated with a soulful rendition of the national anthem and the national song respectively, on both days.

Photo credits: Tarunima Kumar, IP College for Women

Kritika Narula

[email protected]

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