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Cultural Festivals

Highlights from Lady Shri Ram College’s Tarang 2017

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Tarang 2017, the annual cultural fest of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, was the first in a list of University of Delhi fests this year. One of the biggest extravaganzas in DU, this year’s three-day fest took place over the weekend of 3rd to 5th February. The event saw an impressive celebrity lineup, as well as a number of society-specific competitions and programmes.

The college campus was fully decked with decorations from the fine arts society, Hive. With this year’s theme of ‘redefining rhapsody’, quirky art pieces such as treasure chests and innovative exhibitions of wheels and umbrellas were an eye-catching start to the fest. The vibrant atmosphere provided an unmistakeable aura of energy to the campus.

Some of the major events that drew huge crowds were organised by the music, dramatics, and dance societies. On Day 1, a non-competitive stage play event, Yavnika, allowed teams from five colleges around Delhi to showcase their annual productions, without any pressure of winning.

Izzaz,the choreography group dance competition led the audience enthralled by the skills of the dancers and the concepts behind the performances. The first prize went jointly to Gargi College and Hans Raj College, while Kirori Mal College bagged the second position

On Day 2, A Cappella – Pitch Please entertained the audience with contemporary arrangements of popular songs by Coldplay and Twenty One Pilots. Kamakshi Khanna, a renowned artist, was one of the judges for this event. The western music societies of Gargi College, Jesus and Mary College, and Hans Raj College came out on top.

On the final day of the fest, the ever-energetic nukkad natak or street plays were performed non-competitively, in the same spirit of the stage plays. Issues such as casteism and child abuse were brought into the open by the bold scripts and acting of the participants.

Perhaps the most awaited event, Baila, the western group dance, had the entire auditorium packed and buzzing with energy. Maitreyi College emerged victorious, while Jesus and Mary College and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce came second and third respectively.

Apart from these major events, there were also various side events that drew participation. These included musical interpretation painting, slam poetry recitation, parliamentary debate, quizzes, and mystery rooms, along with an Alice In Wonderland themed exhibition. There were also beatboxing and pottery workshops, as well as a number of exciting stalls for hair braiding and temporary tattoos. The variety of eatables available was truly a treat for all the foodies at the fest. There was never a moment to waste at LSR as a plethora of events going on simultaneously provided both excitement and entertainment.

The star nights on all three days were busy affairs. Prateek Kuhad brought the first night to an end with his soothing voice and acoustic compositions.

In contrast to this, the second day saw Anish Sood get the crowd jumping with an EDM show. On the final day of the fest, Kenny Sebastian had the audience in splits with his relatable jokes and casual manner.

He was followed by Lucky Ali, who concluded Tarang 2017 with an enthralling performance of some of his biggest hits.

All in all, Tarang was a magnificent start to DU’s fest season of 2017. Starry pro nights and dynamic events, coupled with the energy and vibrancy throughout the three days added up to an unforgettable fest.

 

Image Caption: Lucky Ali serenading the audience at Tarang 2017
Image Credits: Alex Arthur

 

Vineeta Rana

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Cultural Festivals

Durjoy Datta inaugurates Zion’17, Annual Marketing Convention organised by Mercatus, JMC

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Mercatus, Marketing Society, Jesus and Mary College organised their Annual Marketing Convention – Zion’17 on February 21st, 2017. The event was attended by over a thousand students from across the varsity.

The event kicked off with an inaugural ceremony with Mr. Rohit Raj (CEO, BOOST U) as the Chief Guest and Mr. Durjoy Datta (Novelist, Entrepreneur, Screenwriter) as the Guest Speaker. After the president of the society delivered a welcome note, Mr. Rohit spoke about his entrepreneurial journey. This was followed by a speech by Mr. Durjoy, who enthralled the audience by his sense of humor and success story. He talked about how he was able to come out of his work life to do something he is passionate about.

The inaugural was followed by the commencement of the inter-college events namely Battle of the Bands, Roadies Run, Step Up Quiz, The Ad Mad Show and Marketing Magus. The events were completely marketing-centric and tested the creative, communications and

The Ad Mad Show, consisting of a unique ‘twister’ round where participants had to design a unique product combination, was won by Raju Kumar, Dhruv Kumar and Khushvinder (Faculty of Arts). Battle of Brands, an event based on marketing weirdest possible products to the real audience was won by Nidhi, Avi Aggarwal, Muskan Aillawadhi and Nidhi Gandotra (JMC). The first prize in Roadies Run, a marketing based treasure hunt was bagged by Snigdha Kapoor, Vrinda Mohan, Arushi Jain and Samridhi Gandharva (JMC). Step Up Quiz, a unique fun-based event was won by Sushant Sharma(DSE), Shubham Madaan(SBSC), Prabhu Tyagi(SBSC) and Chirag Sinha(CIC). The final round of the Marketing Plan Competition was won by Gaurav Goswami , Nalini Prasad and Sukriti Somvanshi(IIMC).

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Students with the Guests of the event

When asked about the event, Diksha Sharma, A participant from Gargi College said, “The event concepts are really interesting. I came here specifically to listen to Durjoy’s speech and after hearing about the events, decided to stay back for more.”

The décor of the event revolved around various TV shows and their elements, with ornamental Polaroid and TV Frames grabbing the visitors’ eye. Except for the competitions, various good and food stalls gathered audience attention and kept them glued to the venue till the very end.

Talking about the event, the president of the society said, “I am really happy to see such significant footfall. We tried our best to make the event bigger and better by inculcating new elements, and I’m glad to see it work out.”

The society plans to conduct more such events in the upcoming term.

 

Image Credits: Mehak Dhawan from Jesus and Mary College

Lovleen Kaur

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St. Stephen's

Despite opposition, St. Stephen’s administration to go ahead with bid for autonomy

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At a hastily convened meeting of the Governing Body of St. Stephens College to discuss the issue of autonomous status for the college today, the decision to go ahead with the proposal was agreed to in principle, despite the opposition of four members of the Governing Body. This meeting of the GB was met with a huge silent protest from students, teachers, and the non-teaching staff of the college. Students who demanded that they, and the teachers, should be consulted by the authorities before they decide to go ahead with applying for autonomy, held placards and posters with slogans like ‘Discuss, not Decide,’ and ‘Come, Communicate, Convince’ written on it. This protest by the students was also supported by a protest outside the college gate by members of the Delhi University Teachers Association.

Placards with discuss not decide written on them
Placards with discuss not decide written on them

 

“More than 500 students of St. Stephen’s College gathered in the Senior Combination Room lawns to stand up for their rights, for the entire college community. The students and the faculty stood in protest as a consensus of all stakeholders is necessary before a Governing Body Meeting regarding application for granting of autonomous status to St. Stephen’s College is convened,” says a press release issued on behalf of the students of the college. The students also alleged that one of the GB members, who is a University representative, claimed that he came to know about the meeting from the newspapers and learned that his signature was forged on arriving at the venue. The students demanded that the process of achieving autonomous status be halted until a consensus is reached among all students, teachers and non-teaching staff.

Meanwhile, at the GB meeting, the teacher representatives, including DUTA President Nandita Narain, pointed out that even the UGC Guidelines stipulated prior consultation with students and teachers before applying for autonomy, after which the GB voted in majority to move ahead with autonomy in principle, but follow the procedure laid down for consultation before sending the application to the University. DUTA also staged a protest outside the college and said that this is a move by the government towards privatisation. “We want academic and governance autonomy for the University but not autonomy for the constituent colleges. We will not let anything happen without consensus and will oppose the move,” said AK Bhagi, an Executive Council member.

On the evening of February 26, in another press release on the website of St. Stephen’s College, Prof. John Varghese, the principal of the college said, “Autonomy will deliver higher standards of excellence in academics through new courses that will enhance the employability of the students. It will help the college grow intellectually as well as increase the infrastructure that has seen minimal growth since the 1960s.” The press release confirmed that the GB voted in majority to pass a resolution which will authorise the principal of the college to make all arrangements for getting the college ‘autonomous status.’

Students and Faculty members during the protest
Students and Faculty members during the protest

Earlier this year, after UGC came out with new provisions for granting autonomous status to institutions, St. Stephens decided to apply for autonomy. Other colleges including Hindu, SRCC, Ramjas, Sri Venkateswara College and Hansraj have approached the University for granting them greater autonomy.

Although autonomy will allow colleges the freedom to decide their own syllabus, course and examination patterns, this will also make the college responsible for raising its own funds which may result in a sharp increase in the fees that students pay. This is a prime concern, since many students come from different backgrounds, and may not be able to afford the exorbitant fee hike if the college goes autonomous.

 

Image Credits: Students of St. Stephens College

 

Srivedant Kar

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Arts & Culture

The Rise And Rise Of Creative Writing Competitions

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February is ending and by now, you’ve probably acquired a taste for the fest season already, nevermind the fact whether you are or aren’t a part of any college society. The University of Delhi (DU) is known for its vibrant culture of college fests featuring multiple activities ans star nights, providing a platform to every student to showcase his or her talents. And if you aren’t a trained dancer, musician, or slam poet, fear not. Creative writing is here to the rescue.

Recently, as witnessed in annual fests right from Jesus and Mary College’s (JMC) Montage to Sri Venkateswara College’s (Venky) Nexus, creative writing competitions have gained momentum. They have become exceedingly popular, partly because of the attractive prizes (cash too, if you’re lucky) given as rewards to the winners. Some of these competitions may have a broader theme which one is required to stick to, while others are free flowing. Either way, it’s a challenging proposal — you’ve got to pen down your thoughts exactly within the set time limit.  

These events are a great way to bring back the might of the pen to the forefront, not to mention the fact that they help to boost up your organisational skills by twice the current level. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a poet or a master storyteller, these competitions are worth taking a shot at. You don’t need to be an aspiring author. They’re equally helpful for students wishing to get over their fear of public scrutiny. Minus the fear of public speaking involved in recitation or slam events, and without the instant judgement that comes along with it, these pen and paper events can play a crucial role as stepping stones in boosting your overall confidence. Some of the winners from the recent fests even confess to not having had any intentions of winning, in the first place.

As far as trends go, the creative writing competition has caught on like wildfire. It is here to stay and with good reason. It gives each one of us a great outlet for creativity, for penning down thoughts which may otherwise go unwritten in the humdrum curriculum of work and assignments. Plus, it can always be a pleasant surprise to discover that latent ‘creative bone’ in your body. Who knows, you may win at the next event…

Image credits: www.udemy.com

Deepannita Misra

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Uncategorized

Smashing sexism one letter at a time

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The academic space of university is supposed to be conducive for personal growth and in which a young woman thrives into an independent and confident person, but thanks to the regressive hostel rules and constant moral policing of the authorities; it’s actually a space which reinforces and strengthens patriarchal norms that hinders growth of female students.

Chitra Dabral, Secretary of Phrophecy- fashion society of Lady Irwin College laments, “My society members, who live in hostels, never get to enjoy even a single the star night during the fest session because of the hostel timings. What’s worse is that we often have to cancel our participation, if competitions are scheduled later than 6pm.”

While male hostel residents enjoy late nights and have lax curfews rules (none, in many cases), girls are obliged to return within the walls by as early as 7pm. Such discriminatory regulations are very conveniently justified under the grab of women’s “safety”. What authorities fail to understand is, such rules put women at further risk as they are unable to return to the hostel at night and hence have to look for shelter elsewhere. Besides, if the authorities were so concerned about the “safety” issues then they would have shown the same enthusiasm they display while exercising control, in constituting Sexual Harassment Complaints Committee Cells as per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court of India.

Voices of resistance against unfair rules are cropping up across campuses. The latest case in example is the permission letter written by two students to the warden of Kaveri Hostel of Ambedkar University, Delhi.

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Letter written by two students to the warden of Kaveri Hostel of Ambedkar University, Delhi

Unlike their male counterparts, girls are asked to give explanations and seek permission to spend a few extra hours out of the hostel. In response to this “permission culture”, the girls wrote an honest letter resonating that they were “stressed and disappointed” with their academic life and hence needed a break. The picture of the letter was shared by Pinjra Tod on their Facebook Page .Talking to DUBeat, on condition of anonymity, one student of Ambedkar University confirmed that the duo was granted permission.

We don’t know if the letter was rebellion of a sort or just an honest request. Though by the looks of it, the latter seems to be the case. As they say, humor is the best way to expose the ridicule.

Feature Image Credits: The Quint

Niharika Dabral

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Arts & Culture

BAFTA 2017 Highlights: A night of endearing extravaganza

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Continuing the glory and glamorous spectacle of the award season, the British Academy Film Awards were held on February 12th 2017 to honour the brilliant pieces of work portrayed in the last year. With La La Land, Nocturnal Animals, Moonlight, and other movies bagging series of nominations and subsequent awards, the starry night witnessed wins, fun, frolic, and reverence to the brilliant performers. Here’s recounting the night gone by, and reliving the highlights!

 

Stephen Fry and the Trump gags

Twelve years ago, a golden-voiced actor hosted the British Academy Film Awards for the first time; a practice which would be repeated eleven more times in the succeeding years. Sometimes bordering on the verge of controversy and ruffling feathers here and there, it is difficult to fathom a BAFTA where Stephen Fry doesn’t manage to make headlines. Cut to 2017, when the world is still nursing its wounds from the US Presidential Elections, and the host indirectly mocked the orange elephant in the room, received by bouts of laughter. “Let’s find out who the Russians have decided has won,” yes, let’s do it!

Dev Patel won Best Supporting Actor for Lion and Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for Fences

Rising to fame through his spine-chilling performance in Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel was nominated for the prestigious award along with the likes of Hugh Grant for Florence Foster Jenkins and Mahershala Ali for Moonlight. On winning the award, Patel commented, “I would be lying if I say that awards are not amazing. Awards can really change someone’s career. You get recognition.” Zoomed into the limelight because of her performance in How to Get Away with Murder, Viola Davis shot to instant fame and emerged victorious in various award categories, a tradition kept alive in this year’s BAFTA too.

 

La La Land’s Stream of Success

?After bagging seven Golden Globe Awards, receiving eleven nominations for BAFTA, and maintaining a successful trajectory on the winning streak, La La Land managed to claim the Best Picture award once again in the BAFTAs amongst other honours. The musical which is being collectively appreciated by the world for its direction, screenplay, and acting, continues to sway people off their feet and is anticipated to be a major winner in this Academy Awards.

 

Tom Holland wins BAFTA Rising Star Award

All set to play the titular character in Spider-man’s reboot with Spider-man: Homecoming, Tom Holland’s notable debut in The Impossible invited praise and appreciation towards the newly inducted movie star. Nominated along with Laia Costa, Lucas Hedges, Ruth Negga, and Anya Taylor-Joy, the actor was also honoured for his work in James Gray’s The Lost City of Z.

Prince William facilitates Mel Brooks with a Fellowship Award

Celebrating his contribution to the world of cinema, Prince William honoured the legendary actor Mel brooks with the Fellowship Award during the BAFTAs. Playing a plethora of roles in the industry as an actor, comedian, composer, filmmaker, and song-writer, Mel Brook’s achievements in the films remain unparalleled. The actor commented, “I am not overwhelmed, but I am definitely whelmed by this singular honour.”

Feature Image Credits: BAFTA

Saumya Kalia

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Biblio

Book Review: “Choices” by Shivshankar Menon

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Foreign Policy formation of a country which is filled with infinite diversities is not a child’s play. The recent book by Shivshankar Menon, the former National Security Advisor and foreign secretary of India throws light on how complex and difficult it is for diplomats to form foreign policies for countries.

The book which is his personal account as a bureaucrat who had a part in major decisions of foreign policy of our country. Menon throws light on how conflicts and interests are negotiated for greater good and mutual benefits in diplomacy.

In the book he analyses the border peace agreement with China by the Narsimha Rao Government, the civil nuclear deal with United States and the decision of not going on a military offensive on Pakistan after 26/11 attacks by the Manmohan Singh Government. He also writes on how Sri Lanka eliminated LTTE, why India pledges no first use of Nuclear weapons and his final words on how the foreign policy has shaped and its future. The book analyses each of these events in details focusing on the background, history, politics, economical and international scenarios in those points of time.  

His accounts show how political leaders at the helm have a great influence in the decision making and how sometimes political parties disregard the long term benefitting foreign policy goals in order to secure their own political interests. His accounts of how using statecraft to counter terrorism by non-state actors is largely a less yielding sword especially when the terrorist are supported by another state, and his detailed narratives into the five most pivotal decisions in the recent history of India is a surely suggested reading for anyone who aspires to take up a career in foreign services in his future.

Amongst many other books like ‘Walking with Lions’, ‘Making of a Diplomat’ which are a must read for aspiring diplomats, this book draws a definite space in their bookshelves.

Srivedant Kar

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DU Annual Fest Season

Day 2 at Nexus’17: The Raghu Dixit Project ends the day on a musical note at Venky

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The second day of Nexus ’17, the Annual Cultural Festival of Sri Venkateswara College, began with a host of musical events. ‘Battle of the Bands’, organised by Crescendo, the Western Music Society of the host college, was won by ‘Thread Makers’ of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College. They performed their own composition, Metamorphosis. The Indian Classical Choir event ‘Goonj’, organised by Alaap, the Indian Music Society, was won by Samranjini of Gargi College and Alankaar, of Hindu College bagging the second prize.

A glimpse from the ‘Battle of Bands’ 

This musical affair was followed by a series of Western Dance Competitions. Western Dance Solo competition, organised by Nritya, the choreography society, witnessed participation from around 22 participants. Vipin Lactrix from IGNOU and Ashmita Tomar from Mata Sundari College bagged the first and second prize respectively, in this event. The main stage turned into a magnetic field when the much-awaited Western Dance Group competition, ‘Razzmatazz’ began. It was won by Zeal, of Maitreyi College, followed by V-Defyn of IIT-Delhi.

 

Etcetera of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur College won the first prize in Madari, the Nukkad-Natak competition organised by Anubhuti, the Street Play society of Sri Venkateswara College. The second and third prize was awarded to Ibtida of Hindu College and Natuve of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College respectively.

Drawing the second day to a close, The Raghu Dixit Project performed at the Rock Night at Nexus ‘17. Charming the crowd with his mellifluous voice and quick wit, Raghu Dixit and his band members induced energy and exuberance to the evening. As the crowd cheered with verve and zest, the eventful second day concluded with a musical delight, setting the mood for the last day’s performance!

 

Feature image credits: Vegh Daswani for DU Beat

Lovleen Kaur
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Saumya Kalia
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Kriti Sharma
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Cultural Festivals

Day 1 at Nexus’17: Venky’s Bollywood themed fest kicks off with ‘Sufi Night’

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Sri Venkateswara College’s 3-day annual fest ‘Nexus’ began today. This year, the extravaganza is centred around the theme of ‘Bollywood’, something that reflected in the inventive and breathtaking decorations, events and general atmosphere.

Based on the theme of ‘Bollywood, Nexus’s ambience definitely did the theme justice

The event began with an inauguration ceremony, which began with invoking Goddess Saraswati, followed by the lamp lighting by Dr. Pawan Sharma, an alumna of the college, along with the principal. The dignitaries were joined by the members of the student advisory board and student union.

The first competition of the day was held by the Western Choir Society and was an A- Cappella competition. The event saw participation from eleven colleges and was a huge success. The first prize was won by Echo, the Western Music Society of Jesus and Mary College. Swaranjali- Music Society of Hans Raj College and Western Music Society of Lady Shri Ram College secured the second and third positions respectively.

This was followed by the Folk Dance Competition. High on energy and vibrant to the core, the event saw huge participation. Gargi College, which presented Badhai, a dance form from Madhya Pradesh secured the first position, followed by SGTB Khalsa. Maitreyi College earned a special mention.

 

Mudra, the solo classical dance competition saw Unni Vishwanathan from Hansraj College securing the first position, followed by Reetuparna Vishwanath from Lady Sri Ram College.

The afternoon session began with the Western Solo Competition. The event saw a string of soulful performances. Among the eighteen participants from across the university and the city, Mayank for his cover of the Eagles’ Despererado’ was adjudged the winner. Kishore, with Felix on keyboard from Amity University ended up as the runner-up for his cover of  ‘Over the rainbow’ by Judy Garland. Taeysha Kohli from Jesus and Mary College and Rohan from St. Stephen’s College received a special mention for their outstanding performances.

In ‘Saarang’, the solo instrumental competition,  Aditya from Kirori Mal College and Megha from Miranda House stole the show, bagging the gold and silver respectively.

The crowd turned up in huge numbers at the choreography event, which saw some engaging performances follow one after another. At the end of the event, Terpsi Chorean, the western dance society of the Hans Raj College and Sensation, the western dance society of Kirori Mal College were adjudged first and second for their superior performances.

But the highlight of the day was the much-awaited ‘Sufi Night’. Returning to Nexus for the second time in a row were the fabled Nizami Brothers. Their music mesmerised the crowd. Their performance resonated with the large numbers that flocked Venky’s grounds to get a taste and sense of Sufi in its pristine form. The concert set the tone for a great start and one can anticipate more action to follow in the next two days of Nexus ’17.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hitanksha Jain

Akshara Srivastava
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Nikhil Kumar
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Kriti Sharma
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S.G.T.B Khalsa College

Street play event postponed in SGTB Khalsa on police recommendation

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Ankur, the theatre society of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, have postponed their street play competition, Pratyaksh, which was being organised in the Nukkad on the second day of the college’s annual cultural festival, Lashkara.

Day 1 of Lashkara on February 22 saw myriad competitive events by a plethora of societies, metres away the violence and chaos that erupted in the north campus mid-day onwards. Disrupting a peaceful march by students and teachers to protest against the intervention by the ABVP of an academic conference at Ramjas College, the student political party blocked the entrance of Ramjas College. Violence erupted in front of the college campus with students also stuck inside the college premises for hours.

Following reports and warnings advising students against entering the college campus after the events of February 22, the cultural festival observed a low turnout on February 23. The theatre society’s street play event, organised for the second day, was set to witness participation from majority of colleges around the campus. The street play events during Delhi University festivals are known for raising pertinent issues about the prevailing social and cultural issues, often on taboo and lesser-discussed themes.

“The DUSU president asked us to call off the competition as elements from different plays might be construed negatively in the current political environment. The police also appealed to us to call off the event in the interest of restoring peace and normalcy in the campus. The administration had to take the call of cancelling the event to ensure safety of students,” said Saikat Ghosh, staff advisor of the theatre society. He also pointed out that theatre in Delhi University has always been a tool of speaking up against what was felt unfair, and the medium of raising voices and taking a stand whenever words have been discouraged.

After deliberations between the society, the students’ union, and the college principal, with recommendations from the police authorities to ensure the safety of the students, the event was postponed to a later date to prevent escalation of chaos on campus. Members of the society were unavailable for comments.

Feature image: Kartik Kher for DU Beat

Saumya Kalia ([email protected]) and Akshara Srivastava ([email protected])

 

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