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Hindu College

Colleges Under University of Delhi Planning to Seek Autonomous Status

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A few prestigious institutions under the University of Delhi, namely, St. Stephen’s College, Hindu College, Ramjas College, Shri Ram College of Commerce and colleges run by theDelhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, have expressed the desire of achieving a deemed university status. The proposals are at very initial stages, but if granted, these colleges will have the power to formulate their own rules and fee structures which will not adhere to the functioning of Delhi University.

The matter was raised in the governing body meeting of Hindu college, and it was declared that in later stages if a college wants a deemed university status, they must have an ‘A grade’ accreditation under NAAC for 3 consecutive years. A senior university official stated, “Few colleges like SRCC, Stephen’s, Ramjas, Hindu and the ones run by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee want deemed university status. The Union Human Resource Development Ministry has also formulated some norms for providing more autonomy to colleges but deemed status will give them complete freedom of functioning on their own”. It has been speculated that if this status is granted to any of these colleges, they will not be bound by any of the rules and regulations of Delhi University, and thus there will be no need to seek sanctions from the University for any decision. Despite of all these proposals, it has also been speculated that the Student Unions of these colleges might oppose this move because the college will then have a liberty of deciding their own fee structure, and thus there might be a price hike in the fee which would make affordability a great reason of concern for many students.

St. Stephen’s College has already been in a tussle with the University of Delhi for the past couple of years regarding an autonomous status. Attempts to reach out to the Student Union of the college for their comments were unsuccessful.

 

By Joyee Bhattacharya ([email protected])

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Daulat Ram College

Daulat Ram College Organises Annual Sports Day

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The day before Manjari, the annual cultural fest of Daulat Ram College, saw a Sports Day be conducted. It started off with the entry of the chief guest, Dr. Kuljeet Kaur, who is an athletics champion and alumni of the college, and the Principal, Ms Savita Roy. A round of felicitations then took place, with the chief guest, the Principal, and the organising teachers being recognised. This was followed by recognition and appreciation of the students who excelled in the previous Sports Day. Their hard work was applauded while they were received by a warm welcome from the crowd.

The actual event was an exciting affair, with wide participation from not only the students, but also the teachers. Most surprisingly, even the Principal took part in a couple informal events, which truly lent an element of fun to the occasion. Some of the races included classic favourites such as frog race, spoon race, and three-legged race. Such events brought everyone back to their elementary school days, when these races were the highlight of the school year. Apart from this, there were the usual formal sports events. These included distance races such as the 100m race, long jump, and so on.

Once the competitive events were concluded, there was an awards ceremony where all the winners were presented with their prizes. All in all, the day concluded on a note of laughter and excitement, and got both the students and teachers all hyped up for Manjari in the consequent days. It was a successful event that left everyone with a high.

Feature Image: Daulat Ram College Cricket Team

Vineeta Rana
[email protected]

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Dyal Singh College

Expressions 2017: Annual Stage Play Festival of Dyal Singh College (M)

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Expressions

Astitva – The Dramatics Society of Dyal Singh College (M) organized Expressions’17: The Annual Stage Play Festival on 24th and 25th March, 2017. The preliminary round of Expressions’17 was held on 10th March, 2017 in which about 35 teams of various colleges auditioned. The two-day stage play festival saw the best 10 stage play productions out of the 35. The Judges for the festival were Sweety Ruhail – Theatre practitioner, director designer and a graduate from National School of Drama (NSD) who had worked with Kingdom of Dreams in past and Rajesh Nirmal – Ex Member of Kirori Mal college’s Dramatics Society, Masters from Hyderabad University in Design in Direction, Professional writer of Takseem which was performed at Constitution Club.

Maitreyi College’s 'Daag-e-Daaman'
Maitreyi College’s ‘Daag-e-Daaman’

The first day of the festival kick-started with Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) stage play – A Shaggy Dog Story which tugged at the heartstrings of the audience with its simple yet, inspiring story of 15 year old boy suffering from Asperger’s syndrome. The visual treat continued as College of Vocational studies (CVS) presented Play That Goes Wrong, an epitome of ‘comedy of errors’ where Abhas Sharma from CVS managed to earn Best Actor accolade. Next in line was Maitreyi College’s Daag-e-Daaman, a play which rightly earned a Special Mention by the judges for unfettering the women issues and busting out the misogynistic undertones in our so called technologically advanced and modern times. Kirori Mal College’s – The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime, an adaptation of the novel by Mark Haddon and based on the script by Simon Stephens was staged next. Day 1 of the festival wrapped up with Hindu College’s – There Stands Another, a play which beautifully portrayed the relationship of two people.

Tsering lhamo of SGTB Khalsa in The Bear
Tsering lhamo of SGTB Khalsa in ‘The Bear’

Day 2 of Expressions began with SGBT Khalsa’s – The Bear in which Tsering Lhamo won the Best Actress Award for her performance. Following this was Delhi College of Arts and Commerce’s (DCAC) – Gasha, a play which represented the childhood innocence amidst kashmiriyat, CRPF,RAW, AFSPA and the consequent bloodshed. Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s (M) stage play – In Love With Shauhardh, an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ was staged next and Shubham Chaudhary received a Special Mention from the judges for his performance. Kirori Mal College’s – Pillowman, a dark comedy which asks some hard-hitting questions about the usurpation of rights and freedom while asking “if the pen is really mightier than the sword?” Pillowman won the Best Direction for its spectacular direction which glued the audiences to its seats till the very end. Expression’17 ended on a high note with Ramjas College’s Stage Play – Evam Indrajit which focussed on the existentialist question. Overall, Expression’17 brought myriad range of emotions and great performances on one stage, concocting an unforgettable experience for the audiences which left them asking for more.

 

Image Credits: Xposure – The Photography Society of Dyal Singh College, Morning.

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Indraprastha College for Women

Signs 2017- The Annual English Literary Festival of IPCW

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IPCW

The English Literary Society of Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) organized its Annual English Literary Festival- Signs 2017 on 21st and 22nd March, 2017. The event being divided over two days included many events including competitions, talks, poetry reading etc. With celebrated guest speakers, the Literary Event was attended by students and teachers from across the University.

“Windows and Frames”, the annual theme for the English Literary Society, the first day included a paper presentation competition, where undergraduate students from across the University presented diverse perspectives on the given theme. With discussions varying from voyeurism to Chiaroscuro, the event saw a sea of ideas flowing in. From among the various papers presented, Muskan Nagpal and Ishan Mahendru from Hansraj College bagged the first and second prize respectively, while the third prize was won by Sumedha Anand from IPCW. The day proceeded by boosting the spirits of all the Potter Heads, through the Harry Potter Quiz where the all the fans of the series competed to prove their fandom.

The second day commenced with the release of the English Literary Society’s Annual Journal – Inkspill by the college’s Principal, Dr. Babli Moitra Saraf. Congratulating the Society and the English Department of the College on the release of the Journal, the Principal addressed the audience and threw light upon all the events organized by the society throughout the year. The address was followed by a heart warming poetry reading session by the famous Poet, Teacher and Lover, Hoshang Merchant. The poet being the author of numerous poetry books and the first gay anthology – Yaraana: Gay Writings from India captivated the audience by his poetry. Next was a talk by Ms. Sheela Reddy, the author of the book, Mr and Mrs Jinnah- The Marriage That Shook India. The author, being an active Journalist shared with audience her experience of writing the novel while peeping into the old and forgotten history of Jinnah. The event closed by a slam poetry competition organized in the College’s beautiful lawns. The event wrapped up with a vote of thanks.

Priyal Mahtta

 [email protected]

 Image Credits: Tamanna Rafique from IPCW

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Events

Taarunya ’17, National Youth Convention attracts intellectual minds from all over the country

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Zakir HUssain college

National Service Scheme (NSS) Unit, Zakir Husain College, University of Delhi organized its Second Annual National Youth convention Taarunya ’17 on March 23. It was organized in the memory of Swami Vivekananda; forming the central theme.

The event started with exhibition of a brief documentary about NSS events held in college last year and Zakir Husain Delhi College to enlighten the audience. Student participation from various colleges across University of Delhi and beyond was highly enthusiastic. Distinguished guests Maj Gen (Retd) P.K. Saighal and Mr. Sumeet Awasthi, veteran journalist, Mr. Navin Agarwal, I.P.S., Director General of National Anti-Doping Agency and National Level Director cum Advisor NSS; Mr. Rakshit Tandon, Cyber Security Expert and Mr. Nitin Mandal, Stand-up Comedian proved pivotal for the promulgation of Taarunya.

Speaking at the inauguration, NSS Program Officer Mr. Mukesh Kumar Jain stimulated the dynamic audience to embed the spirit of serving the society. Dr. R. Prabhakar Rao, College Principal, emphasized the importance of environment sustainability and cleanliness for the progress of our nation.

Sumeet Awasthi, the first speaker of the day filled the room with his positivity and inspired the youth to not only become the torch bearers of the country but also to become better human beings. He talked about the importance of social organisations in the country and applauded the NSS team of the college for the remarkable contribution to the society.

P.K. Saighal, talked about the various achievements of the youth in the field of science. He encouraged the youth to tap into their unrealised potential and take the country to the next level. He re- emphasized the vision of Swami Vivekananda and made the youth believe that the sun will never set on India if the youth never gives up. He gave various examples and made the youth believe that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to.

Mr. Nitin Mandel, Stand Up Comedian was well acclaimed by one and all.

Mr Navin Aggarwal, I.P.S., who served forseveral years in Jammu and Kashmir discussed the issues faced by the youth particularly in the state. He brought the perception of youth of different states to the convention and discussed the various social issues.

Mr Rakshit Tandon, the last speaker of the day not only brought great amount of knowledge but also filled the room with smiles and laughter. He imparted great amount of awareness amongst the youth about cyber crime and much needed security and instilled a sense of responsibility in the youth of today.

The event saw large presence of the youth who were keen to gain knowledge and inspiration from speakers. It proved beyond doubt that young minds are also willing to participate in the societal issues of the current age.

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Top Picks

Binging on Riverdale: A Review

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Riverdale, a name which brings back memories of the time when we somehow first got our hands on the beloved Archie comics and binged on the famous love triangle between Archiekins, Betty and Veronica, as they sat at Pop Tate’s devouring one milkshake with three straws! The Riverdale we knew paints a very pretty picture of a happy and content town which doesn’t seem to get itself into much trouble, except when it was Jughead eating more burgers than usual!

However, in 2017, most of us are rediscovering a new meaning of the term Riverdale. The new Riverdale still has the same characters, but with a dark past and a seemingly dark future. Now, the Riverdale of our childhood memories is Riverdale, an American teen drama television series based on the characters of Archie comics. The plot of this sitcom gravitates away from how we envision Riverdale and attributes the characters with traits which we do not imagine them ever to possess.

For instance, we grew up knowing this about the Lodges: Veronica and her comically strict father, Hiram Lodge live a lavish life at the Lodge Estates; Hiram is constantly trying to keep Archie and Reggie away from Veronica’s fancy.But now, we are presented with a scenario in which Hiram Lodge is jailed for fraud and embezzlement andVeronica lives with her mom (whom we never knew of), Hermione Lodge.

Archie is the only character in the sitcom that places a sense of similarity with the comic book character, as he is still a ladies’ man trying to juggle his busy life. However, Archie seems to have developed a keen interest in music and wants to keep himself close to his guitar (along with Ms. Grundy!). Betty is still a sweet, smart, eager-to-please and beautiful, with a long time crush on her best friend, Archie. She is tired of being the perfect daughter, student and sister, giving her a hidden personality, which contains itself with anger and resentment against her brittle mother. However, the most interesting character is Jughead, played by Cole Sprouse, the narrator of the series. He is a philosophically bent heartthrob, who was once the best friend of Archie. He is shown to still be dealing with the agony of the rift that came between them. His father is the leader of a local motorcycle gang called the Southside Serpents. All hell breaks loose in Riverdale when Jason Blossom is found dead in a lake, right after going boating with his sister, Cheryl Blossom on the 4th of July.

The sitcom features characters like Reggie, Moose, Josie and Dilton Doiley who are placed in personas unlike themselves and in situations which are very hard to decipher. The new Riverdale is a dystopian and dark version of the Riverdale we once knew, and it has everyone eagerly waiting for new development on the existing storyline.

Boy! Are we hooked yet?

 

Image Credits: slashfilm.com

Joyee Bhattacharya
[email protected]

 

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QWERTY

O for Oreo? Android O is the new 8.0 version!

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Google unveiled the latest version of its mobile operating systems code named ‘Android O’ on 21st March, 2017. The new design of the OS is aimed at improving battery life and the interactive performance of the device. The update puts restrictions on how apps run in the background. ‘Picture in picture’ (PIP) is the new feature that’ll be rolling out with the update. What that means is that a mobile user can watch a video while doing something else such as booking a cab or chatting with someone. Some other major highlights about the new OS update are :

1.BETTER NOTIFICATIONS

The notifications will come with snooze setting, wherein the user can set the time to deal with the notification later if they don’t want to deal with them at the moment. For instance, the user can select the snooze time from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Better control over handling the notifications will be provided to the user through the new notification ‘channels’. These channels will help user to have more control over notifications of storage and screenshots.

2.IMPROVED SETTINGS

The settings app has been revised completely. It’s much more condensed and about half as long as Android’s current version. It has been sectionalised more efficiently, providing a concise and logical view to the users. The colour scheme of the settings app has been changed to an all white theme, along with the icon as well.

3.SYSTEMS UI TUNER

The System UI Tuner has a new navigation bar. Users can do a lot of customisation on this: from selecting layout of the whole screen to adding two extra custom buttons on the bottom screen in addition to home, back and recent apps. These extra buttons will have three buttons : Clipboard, Keycode and Change Keyboard. Users can access all the text that they have recently saved via clipboard and change the keyboard they’re using with the other option. Keycode is a value in Android System to almost every input that the OS receives. This can range from buttons on keyboard to launching apps through the button click. The tuner also houses a lock screen customiser which will let the user to customise the apps to launch from the shortcuts on extreme ends at bottom of the screen. Possibilities range from opening Gmail on right swipe while unlocking to launching a game on left swipe.

There are many more exciting features that will be bundled in the update. Let’s hope it receives better response from the users than the ones before did!

Kavach Chandra
[email protected]

Image Credits: www.wikipedia.org

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Top Picks

College Trips: Exploring new places and people!

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Setting a new paradigm to the conventional education system, departmental tours and college trips have increasingly become a part of a student’s life.These serve as a source of recreation after weeks and months of classroom studies. College years are the best time to travel. Getting permission from parents is not that tough and there is no boss yet to cancel your leave request. The cost isn’t much either, so if you can sort out the money issue, the road is open.

College is that time in your life when you’re no more a child but still not an adult. Travelling to different parts of the country, seeing new things and meeting new people can go a long way in shaping you as a person.

Some places to visit with your group of friends to mark the most beautiful days of student life are as follows:

1. If your group seeks small time spooky thrills, pack your bags and visit India’s most famous haunted place, the ruins of Bhangarh! Located in Alwar, Rajasthan, you need to be around the place after sundown for some serious adrenaline rush. The trip to Bhangarh can be completed within Rs.5,000 per person.

2. Go skiing in the Himalayan mountains of Auli, Uttaranchal, and nobody will be able to catch up with you! Surrounded with magnificent Oak forests and enthralling views of Mana Parbat and Neelkanth, Auli is one of the best skiing destinations of India. The trip can be covered under RS. 5,000 if you are a large group of people.

3. College life is the best time to explore the unexplored. If never-ending stretches of sand is your calling, then you should definitely visit Rajasthan! Camping on stretches of nothingness under gleaming stars will make you appreciate the raw beauty of India even more. Oh and the desert safari in Bikaner and Jaisalmer can be covered within a bare minimum of Rs.5,000-8,000.

4. There are glaciers and there are rivers, but Chadar, a stretch along the Zanskar River in Jammu and Kashmir, has both. Its path links a series of villages in the remote Zanskar Valley. The Chadar trek is over ice, rock and water and is rated very highly by adventurers. Build your physical strength and stamina before you get there to have the gorgeous view of the valley and the experience you will never forget. This trek can at most cost Rs. 25,000 per person including equipment for the trek.

5. Not a very well known tourist spot, Meghalaya is nevertheless an extremely beautiful part of the country. Visit the majestic caves in Mawsmai, Siju, Krem Mawmluh and Krem Liat Prah, home to many stunning natural formations and endemic plant and animal life. A trip to Meghalaya can cost around Rs. 8,000-10,000.

6. Camping in Ranikhet, Almora and spending exciting and blissful moments with friends among the stunning locales of Ranikhet will be a beautiful experience. Also known as the ‘Queen’s Meadow’, Ranikhet is extremely popular for its magical beauty and camping destinations. This trip can be completed under an expense of Rs. 8,000-10,000.

7. Shimla’s Jakhoo Hill is yet another quintessential destination to travel within a college budget. Nestled amidst lush and evergreen pine forests, a trek to the peak is an astounding experience that can cost a minimum of Rs. 5,000-8,000.

8. Call Palampur the ‘Tea Capital of North India’ or the ‘Land of Streams’. At the confluence of the hills and the plains, it is an easy destination that can be best explored by college students, with a treak to the Birni Devi Temple during the earliest hours of the day. This trip can be covered within Rs. 4,000-6,000.

9. Ziplining in Kikar,Chandigargh is for the adrenaline junkies who wish to enjoy the excitement of the longest zipline in South Asia. The breeze fondling your senses while sliding down the zip will curate some of the most memorable moments of student life. This trip may cost at most Rs. 5,000-7,000.

10. The Silk Route is one amazing trip to go on in Eastern India. This is an ancient hilly road in Sikkim which is becoming extremely popular among the people. You can indulge in the place which has pure beauty and you may discover yourself in a completely new aspect. This route has a rare combination of the history of man’s civilisation and the beauty of nature. A bare minimum of Rs. 6,000-8,000 will be the expense of the trip.

Radhika Boruah
[email protected]

Image Credits: freeimagez.com

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Campus Central

The Impending Aftermath of the Fest Season

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The even semester of University of Delhi is always jam-packed with a variety of events for students, most notably college fests. Our correspondent warns you about the post fest season blues so you know what to expect when you experience these withdrawal symptoms.

The buzz around fests in Delhi University begins as early as the New Year. The fests end sometime in late March, leaving students to face the reality of college and life after they have successfully escaped it for half a semester. In this scenario, the withdrawal symptoms that result from the end of the fest season can be all-consuming.

Fests give us the opportunity to get out of our own college and wander to others’ without feeling guilty about wasting our time. After all, the celebrities only come to star nights once a year, and it’d be blasphemous to miss out on seeing them perform our favourite Bollywood songs and EDM mixes. The problem arises not when we start missing our classes to attend popular events like Western Group Dance at a fest, but when we start thinking it is okay to do so on a daily basis. Once we’ve fallen into the trap of skipping classes and travelling to far away colleges just to investigate their food stalls like true critics, it is practically impossible to get out of this rut.

Couple this with the fact that with the end of the fest season comes with a torrent of internals and assignments, all to be submitted within days of each other. Not only this, but the semester exams seem to be closer now than ever, with only a little over a month of college to go before prep leave begins. Professors start revising their syllabi, and we’re still left wondering what the topics on our exam are.

The post fest season blues especially take a toll on our mental health as well. After weeks of attending events and experiencing that adrenaline rush, returning to mundane life can be depressing and heartbreaking. The mid-sem break acts as a buffer in this sense as we have a chance to come down from that high and brace ourselves for the regularity of college. It also gives us one last opportunity to party our hearts out, which was made possible even more so this year by the occasion of Holi at the start of the break.

Here’s to wishing you had the best for this last week of fests before the return to our standard DU lives!

Vineeta Rana
[email protected]

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