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Anugrah Gopinath

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After a major chunk of the day’s activities were washed out due to the largely unexpected rain, Nexus 2014 organisers made it a point not to disappoint the attendees by still holding the Rock Night performances at a different venue. The venue was shifted from the outdoor stage area to the college foyer. This did cause the crowd to thin out and left the performers to deal with a space crunch but none of this deterred the Nexus spirit.

The first performance was the opening act for Junkyard Groove- Dhruv Vishvanath Trio (DVT). They played an all original set consisting of three songs, and covered a small part of the more than famous Daft Punk song Get Lucky as a crowd pleaser.

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After this, the main attraction for the night, Junkyard Groove took the stage and the energy soared. However, a few technical snags marred the initial part of their performance and they had to take a short break. But once they resumed, they played with amazing musical prowess. Out of a set that lasted close to an hour they obviously played favourites such as It’s Ok and Folk You, but also in the middle to switch things up a bit covered the Pearl Jam song Animal and went on the riff Sweet Child of Mine, taking the crowd by surprise both times.

Once this performance concluded with the solo of It’s Ok, both the crowd and the band looked more than happy with the performance. Simultaneously, a sufi night featuring the Sabari Brothers taking place in the auditorium foyer. The two events were followed by the choreography competition, that went on late into the night, causing a slight scuff with the police which was soon sorted out, bringing Day two of Nexus 2014 to a close.

The Western Music Solo competition scheduled for 12:00pm at Nexus 2014 got delayed due to technical difficulties, however the competition picked up pace once it began. The judges for the event were both in-house judges – Dr. Nikhil Yadav and Dr. Ratna Raman.

25 teams from colleges across campus participated in the event. Maximum of 2 teams per college were allowed and 3 accompanying artists were allowed along with each performer.

The performances ranged from Christina Aguilera’s songs to Amy Winehouse. All the performances were well received by the audience, making it worth the performer’s time and effort. Ultimately the winners were declared, the first position was bagged by Nirupan from Hansraj College and the second position by Hanita from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.

Vimarsh the Hindi debating society at Sri Venkateswara College held its annual debating tournament Manthan ’14 on Monday 10, February. The chief guest for the event was Mr. Rishipal Rana, ACP, Delhi Traffic Police.

As part of the tournament, two events were organised- a conventional debate competition and a tourncoat debate. Participants came from over 20 different DU colleges.

The topics chosen for debate were centered around the following issues- the institution of marriage and how people value it, the relationship between capitalism and naxalism in India and the effects of social media on electoral politics.

Out of all the participating teams, Prabhanshu Ojha of Hansraj College stood first while Mohd. Imran Khan and Vaibhav from B. R. Ambedkar College were placed second and third respectively.

In the last week of November the multi talented Raghu Dixit along with his band the Raghu Dixit Project launched their album Jag Changa. This is their second album following the 2008 release. On this album you can clearly see the singer- songwriter go back to his roots, and if you haven’t caught him live yet, you’re missing out on some soulful music.

We’ve picked out 3 tracks from the album to highlight how this Project is at the top of its game and everything IS changa.

Track 01. Parasiva: The album opens with the song Parasiva (Kannada) that has a rather prominent Indian percussive sound but this soon mellows out when Raghu Dixit chimes in with the vocals and a playful chorus. Things that make this track stand out are the droning violin sound, the rather plastic-y effect on the guitars during the chorus (if you tune in carefully this is easily identifiable) and some brilliant bass work to tie the track up. Enjoy this track while dwelling on its meaning, which acknowledges the many strangers who come to our aid in life when we have our backs against the wall- what else can you call it but an act of God as Raghu Dixit says.

Track 03. Jag Changa: As Raghu Dixit explains while performing live, the album was to an extent inspired by the many Delhi gigs the band performed. He says that they took away the word ‘changa’ and its meaning that everything is fine, beautiful, add to that the word ‘Jag’ and you know it, the world is beautiful. Certainly a world with Raghu Dixit’s music is nothing short of a surreal one. The title track of this album opens with Raghu Dixit strumming a sharp progression and humming to it. Before you know it, a percussive click and a slide of the bass ushers in the banjo and Raghu Dixit harmonizing, before the verse. The lyrics sometimes playful, sometimes satirical however always acknowledging that at the end of it all, the world is beautiful. Navin Iyer chips in on this record with a marvelous flute solo that livens up the track. The satire comes through in probably the most striking lines of this song- ‘Insaan ban gaya hai do pal ka ishtehaar. Sansad se zyaada bhar gaya hai ye Tihar.’- followed by a short violin solo. This song will certainly stay in your head for a long time and has the most repeat value.

Track 04. Yaadon Ki Kyari: This song is literally a garden of the singer’s childhood memories with lyrics as pristine as the waters of the Godavari. It is easily notable that Raghu Dixit pours his heart out while singing this song which ties together snippets of his childhood memories such as the scooter rides with his father, his love for the Rasam Shaadam (Rasam Rice) his father would make and so on. The most striking imagery however is that when he reminisces the long walks along the bank of the Godavari with his mother and how they together lit up several earthen lamps and floated them across the river- all those lamps that ornamented the river are described as the most beautiful sight in the world by Raghu Dixit. So take a peek into the singer’s childhood and maybe re live some moments from your own.

Another track that deserves special mention is Lokada Kalaji. Raghu Dixit can make you sing along and this track is testimony to it. A shame if you miss this track while the band is onstage, since through this song Raghu Dixit is happy to give you a lesson in Kannada and an opportunity to be one with the band.

In its entirety the much awaited album is nothing short of a work of art. To add to that, the album features a rather uncanny but welcome redesign to the conventional CD case format and comes in 3 different colours, so you may choose as you please- but what’s on the inside only gets better with every listen.

The Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) held a press conference at their office on Monday in order to make public the feedback they received from students of Miranda House College, St. Stephen’s College, SRCC, Dyal Singh College and the Germanic and Romance Study with regard to the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). Initially DUTA President Nandita Narain drew attention to the AISA referendum conducted earlier this year. This referendum in overwhelming numbers of student votes rejected the FYUP. She then went on to attack the official feedback survey undertaken by the University officials and called it a skewed exercise as it did not give the student any real scope to express opinion against the FYUP. Moreover the feedback was never made public, which makes it safe to assume that the students still went on to out rightly reject the FYUP. The DUTA in its attempt to conduct a fair survey devised its own questionnaire and received feedback from a total of 930 students out of which 570 belong to Miranda House, 212 students are from St Stephens and 148 from SRCC. The data collected from Dyal Singh College and from the students studying in the Faculty of Germanic and Romance Studies was not available as all feedback forms had not been returned, but the data shall be available soon was the reassurance.

The students of the above mentioned colleges rejected the University’s claim of increased employability under the new system. 88% students from Miranda House and 73% from SRCC believed that the Foundation Courses (FCs) were nothing but a refurbished format of what was already taught in school. This led to 86% of Miranda students and 89% of SRCC students saying that there was no use of the FCs in the course of learning. Students also voiced their concerns about how the FCs gave them no time or scope to study the DC I courses- the ones they had actually opted for in college. The question of striking a balance between studies and extracurricular activities also seemed like a ‘dream’ to many students present. Meriam from St. Stephens said that due to long hours of classes under the FYUP they were left with little to no time to take part in the co- curricular activities that they liked.

Feedback

Dr. Renu Arora and Dr. Abha Dev Habib- professors from Miranda House along with Arini Kar and Deepika Bisht from Miranda voiced the many concerns of teachers and students. The system of having about 55 marks out of 75 as internal assessment was questioned again. With an average of 100 students on roll in a class, the teacher would only be toying with the student’s result in case he or she is unable to recall the class performance of each and every student. It was also told how the lack of proper study/ research material made project work nothing but a sham. The laptops distribution exercise was mocked by calling it ‘a pacifier to a crying baby’ by Alisha from Dyal Singh College.

Other concerns raised were that from the point of view of outstation students. Given that the cost of living in Delhi averages out to be 1 to 1.5 lakhs a year for an outstation student. The additional 4th year would doubly burden these students and their families, it must be noted that this sample is made up by students coming from varying social and economic abilities. Dr. Virat and Dr. Vikas, professors from Dyal Singh college chipped in by saying that the teachers also reject the FYUP alongside the students. Moreover they turned their attention to the problems faced by differently abled students, especially those who are visually challenged. They said that there was a lack of accessibility to the new study material and teachers of FCs were not given any special training in order to deal with such challenges. Dr. Vikas said that this system should have been reconsidered instead of it being imposed in a top down manner. Adding to this, Dr. Virat told us how the voices of the real stakeholders- students and teachers- is to be taken into account.

The DUTA in this situation proposes the following things. First of all a full roll back of the FYUP and a complete U- turn to the Annual system. This is proposed for the next batch of students, that is the incoming batch of 2014- 15. For the current batch that is already in this system, DUTA suggests that the number of FCs to be cut down considerably if not removed and the course be restructured to make DC I and DC II courses more dominant. Also, the fourth year should be made optional covering more ‘applied and hands on courses in the 4th year.’ The DUTA also criticized the mid course exit points option by calling it a farce, their demand is that even this should be done away with.

The DUTA reassured students and teachers by saying that even though the University administration refused to acknowledge its mistakes, the DUTA shall constantly intensify its efforts in reversing these wrongdoings, its aim is to ultimately do away with the FYUP and bring back the 3 year Annual System, with retention of B. A., B. Com. And B. Sc. Programme courses.

DUTA’s suggestion for the current batch of the FYUP, they hope to get implemented by the 2nd year that is 3rd semester of the current batch:

DC- I

DC- II

First Year

2+2

Second Year

3+3

2+2

Third Year

4+4

1+1

Total

18

6

Fourth Year

Applied/ Research Courses- optional.

Kai Chicken, a very oriental name that boasts of a wide ranging menu, but does it live up to the standards of us DU students?

Location: Kai Chicken is located about 10 steps down the lane from Chowrangee, right next to Bubble Tea Shop (which has shifted) this makes it very accessible. Even though their board is quite in everyone’s face, the clutter of Satya Niketan may force you to overlook this place.

Ambience: As soon as you enter this eatery, be rest assured you’ll forget that you are in Satya. The place is neat and clean, quite spacious- which comes as a surprise and we could not miss the powerful AC that gives much needed respite.

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Menu and Food: The most crucial aspect of an eating joint, its food. Sadly Kai Chicken does not fare too well here. We found the burgers to be bite sized, compared to the hogger’s delight the menu displayed. The wrap we ordered was mostly cold and seemed half heartedly done up. They do take into account a wide variety of non vegetarian food- mainly chicken and can prove to be a refreshing change for chicken lovers.

Service: It took more than a reasonable amount of time for our food to find its way to our table. This seemed even more unreasonable as there weren’t any other customers at the time. However, service at the counter is prompt and we have no qualms whatsoever. The option of home delivery is also there, so you can order Kai right to your PG.

Value for money: Here is where the hoardings get really misleading. They boast of a very student friendly price tag, but it isn’t all that friendly. The average cost for 2 for a meal can touch Rs. 400/- if drinks, main course and dessert were to be taken into account.

Unmissables: You can certainly not miss the ceramic- burger shaped jar- that houses ketchup sachets- very eye catching. In terms of food the Chicken bucket and Chicken fingers with the variety of dips are worth a try.

The orientation for freshers and their parents at Sri Venkateswara College was held on Tuesday, 23rd July. The ceremony was led by Principal Dr. P. Hemlatha Reddy and she was joined by most (however not all) heads of departments.

The recently inaugurated auditorium was used to conduct the ceremony. Evident from a packed auditorium, the orientation initially received good response from students and parents.

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In a ceremony that lasted for about one and a half hours in a not so well ventilated auditorium the Principal touched upon general topics about the history of the college, code of conduct, the fest- Nexus, the various departments and other aspects on college life at Venky.

While having the ceremony in the auditorium (in the presence of parents) was a step well appreciated, the audience complained that the various speakers were hardly audible from the dais. This resulted in a lukewarm response from the audience towards the end of the day.

(Also see: College orientations in pictures)

Image Credit: Sonam Satija

After their 9th Studio Album- Backspacer- being acclaimed by many as their best work yet Pearl Jam after almost a 4 year long break have given us a sneak peek into their upcoming album Lightning Bolt. This preview comes in the form of the song Mind Your Manners, released over the internet 2 days back. Let us dig right into the striking features of this Lightning Bolt then:

The song starts off with a guitar progression that is quite punchy, yet the tone is rounded off well, making it a rather easy way in. And then the vocals hit you, if you are not a regular to PJ’s music (like me) then it’ll take you a moment to realize that it still is Eddie Vedder. He doesn’t look or sound like the guy in Alive or Jeremy, but is amazing nevertheless. The style of vocals complements the lyrics and in turn the title of the track. The lyrics are cloaked in religious references and so is the cover art for this track- we saw some resemblance to the cover art of Warren Zevon’s Excitable Boy here.

About halfway through the song the masterstroke comes in, the guitar solo. Sadly this is short lived, however, by now one can realize that not only is the final sound impeccable, but PJ has played around with the soundscape a bit more. It is safe to assume that the band must’ve had a lot of fun during the production.

In so many ways the song is similar to the PJ sound (case in point- Spin the Black Circle) but in many ways different and a leap forward. If this song is the centrepiece of the album, Lightning Bolt will be one album to look out for.

So Sailors, Mind your Manners!

While class 12 pass-outs sit wide eyed about the FYUP, current DU are students also anxious to see how the new system pans out. Amidst all this chaos we shall in the coming days try to bring you some reasonable goods, bads and uglies about the FYUP.

While we have already listed the positives, here are a few apprehensions that students, parents and teachers alike hold:

  • Employability: Will the FYUP actually lead to an increase in the overall employability of a student? Increasing the employability was one of the main arguments put forward for the main system. However, with the DUSU conducting large scale job fair, with a central as well as college specific placement cell is there a need for a system face lift just to increase employability?
  • Work Load: We all are aware how the workload almost doubled with the coming of the semester system. And given that a big apprehension is that with the FYUP the workload shall also balloon out of hand. Courses are being added- sometimes some courses being diluted (more on that in a bit) but given the overall increase in subjects and projects (1 per week in some places) will the students be left with decent amount of free time?
  • The Course: Adding courses, diluting the main (major) course, mind body and heart courses, WHAT is even happening on the academic front? While the syllabus that has been rolled out for most courses is decently structured, will someone help us understand the real deal, given that even the teachers are quite unaware?
  • Dropouts: While the University uses the euphemism of ‘mid- course multiple exits’ we all know they are talking about the majority of students who dropout each year without completing their course. The issue is that the dropouts do not have a degree to speak for their time spent in college. What our question is, is whether the degree given to dropouts (after completion of 2 or 3 years) be simply a confidence certificate to half knowledge, or not?
  • Post Graduation: Yes, once the FYUP is in place PG shall be of only one year, good, maybe, maybe not? It is feasible for those who stick on with DU, but for those, and most of us who turn to other universities for PG it means a total of 6 years to be spent in college- given that other universities still have a 2 (sometimes 3) year PG Programme.
  • Extra Curricular activities: DU has been an ECA inclined person’s delight, even in the face of the semester system. So, are compulsory ECA and Mind Body Heart courses really that necessary? Even if they are, will the FYUP calendar and work load mess with the sacrosanct fest season?
  • Infrastructure: How can a University that is already suffering from a crisis of room to take classes in afford to make itself fully technically equipped to live up to the FYUP’s benchmarks? We’re afraid that the dedication with which they approach the practical subjects shall be half hearted.
  • Teachers: It is an obvious fact that there is a shortage of academic staff, the number runs in the hundreds. And the staff members who are already part of the system is reluctant to embrace the FYUP, will the students suffer in this tug of war?

We hope the University comes out to answer these questions in a clear, student friendly format.

(Also See: Why the Four Year Undergraduate Programme might not be such a bad idea)