Arushi Pathak, Author at DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

Hoping against all hopes for better weather conditions, Kamala Nehru College kick-started its annual fest, Ullas ’15. The rain turned out to be least sporting since it forced the Union to postpone the star performance of the day- live concert by K.K., the well-known Bollywood singer. However, society events were lined up as per the schedule and the participants faced only a slight delay.

The fest began with the first event- Indian Solo Dance Competition organised by Nupur, the Indian Dance society of Kamala Nehru College. As time passed, the auditorium witnessed increasing footfall and the audience was observed appreciating the beauty of the attires and expressions of the performers. The event was judged by Mr. Tej Prakash and Mrs. Nalini Jain who were seen meticulously observing every movement of the performers. Prathima Ghosh from Daulat Ram College bagged the first position for her beautiful Kathak performance while the second position was shared by Keerti Venkat and Arpita of Gargi College.

In continuation, Indian Folk Dance (Group) competition saw the stage being covered in hues of Bhangara and Garba. The performers were overwhelmed with energy and their exhilaration was apparent in their performance.

“Instead of dampening our spirits, the weather cheered us up all the more. This was our best performance so far. The entire group enjoyed performing and we were extremely confident about it all through.”, said Manisha of Sri Venkateshwara College which brought a glimpse of Gujrati Daandiya to the audience.

The jury was interestingly looking for “the maximum variety exhibited in the folk dance.” Gargi College was declared the winner and Sri Venkateshwara College and Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College were declared the Runners’ Up.

The entire event ran smoothly and within no time, foot tapping beats of western music overtook the audience with the commencement of ‘Nrityakriti’, the Choreography competition organised by the Choreography society of the college, Adagio. Covering various themes, the competition witnessed passionate dancers bringing out the best within them. From the plight of persons with Identity Disorders to the need of valuing one’s individuality, the event showcased it all.

The jury for this event comprised of Ms. Bhavini Misra and Mr. Amit Kumar, both exceptional dancers and choreographers. Gargi College’s ‘Spectrum’ was declared the winner of the competition followed by Lady Shri Ram College at the second position and Hindu College’s ‘The Unparalleled’ at the third. The jury also gave their valuable feedback to each of the participating teams at the end.

Along with this, Swaranjali, Indian Solo and Choir Music Competition was organised by Sangeetika, the Indian Music society of KNC. Amidst substantial participation, Hindu College outshone the rest as it bagged all three positions in the solo category. Rajeev Prasanna was declared first, followed by Soumitra Thankur and Ashutosh Verma at the second and third positions. In the group category, Lady Shri Ram College bagged the first position, Daulat Ram College emerged second followed by Kirori Mal College at the third position.

“KNC managed to pull off its fest and conducted all events smoothly. All measured were taken to be sure that everyone who had come had a good time!”, Harsha Krishan of IPCW commented on the overall atmosphere.

The most awaited event of the day, La ‘Vore, organised by the Fashion Society of the college Glitz, saw the audience’s zeal at a whole new level. Voicing out miscellaneous issues by the uniqueness of their costumes, the fashion show was a huge success all together. The event was judged by famous photographers Mr. Akash Das, Mr. Hemant Sood and Mr. Neil.

Amidst tough competition, Maitreyi College emerged as winners for their performance on the need to conserve the National Animal of India, Tiger. A depiction of the Biblical reference of Adam, Eve and the forbidden fruit brought forward by Amity School of Communication bagged them the second position.

With this, events like Srijan, Hindi Creative Writing Competition and Abhivyakti, Hindi Debating Competition wrapped up day 1 of Ullas ’15 successfully. K.K. is scheduled to perform tomorrow live at 4 p.m. at the college ground.

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Gargi College

Reverie 2015 culminates with a performance of Bollywood artist Anushka Manchanda

By Arushi Pathak February 14, 2015

GlassEye, the Filmmaking society of Gargi College organised a Bollywood Quiz on Day – III of their annual festival Reverie 2015. The event witnessed participation of about 18 teams from Delhi University. The first prize was won by ‘PratyushaYadav and team’ from Kamala Nehru College. The second prize was bagged by ‘Victor and team’ from Kirori Mal College. The Quiz was followed by a screening of Argo, an Oscar-winning movie.

The Western Music Society of Gargi College, Euphony also conducted a Western Group Song competition. It was judged by Mr. Sherry Matthews and Ms. Jasmine Batton. Lady Shri Ram College bagged the first position, followed by St. Stephen’s College. The third prize was shared by Kirori Mal and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies.

Intriguing (and bizarre) informal events added to the enigma of the last day of Reverie 2015.Bon Appe’tit was an event that consisted of multiple knockout rounds. Participants had to eat as much as they could in a specific amount of time.

With this, ‘Thumka’, group folk dance competition was organised by Nazakat, the Indian dance society of the college. The event saw a very enthusiastic participation by various teams. Within no time, Bhangra beats and Garba melodies filled the auditorium and the crowd could be seen swaying and cheering with the pulsating music. The participants too were extremely exhilarated to perform for such a supportive and active audience.

“You’re already very nervous for your performance. When the crowd is responsive, you get an impulse to perform better. All the cheering and applause motivates you to bring out your best in the performance.”, said Guramrit of Mata Sundari College and Avni of Indraprastha College for Women.

The event was judged by Dr. Rashmi Bhardwaj, teacher convener of Nazakat and Ms. Havisha Agnihotri, a Kathak performer and Fold dance specialist.

As the sun reached closer to the horizon, a huge crowd could be seen flocking towards the Main Stage where the star attraction of Reverie 2015, Anushka Manchanda, was scheduled to perform. The footfall was impressive and the crowd was managed somewhat appropriately. Punctually, Anushka Manchanda took over the stage as the last streaks of sunlight faded. Beginning with evergreen tunes of ‘Hamma Hamma’, she moved on to her all time favourites which included the title song of ‘Dil Chahta hai’ and the hit 90’s song ‘Ole Ole’ which made the crowd hysterical with enthusiasm.

Furthermore, her own Bollywood chartbusters like ‘Dum Maaro Dum’, ‘Aunty ji’ and ‘Dance Basanti’ infused the audience with a whole new level of vigour. With this, the energy she exhibited in her performance and the connection she made with the audience was widely praised. The Union members were welcomed on the stage to join the celebration.

And #Reverie2015 wraps up with a performance by Anushka Manchanda! Did you attend the star night today? #DelhiUniversity

A photo posted by DU Beat (@du_beat) on Feb 13, 2015 at 6:17am PST

The thumping drum beats of one of the most favourite songs of all Indians, ‘Ishq Tera Tadpaave’ with the added touch of fireworks in the sky proved to be the perfect culmination to the three day event. A note of thanks for Anushka Manchanda was delivered by the principal Dr. Shashi Tyagi and the former was urged to perform a couple of more songs on audience’s demand. Reverie 2015 ended on a note of contentment as the collective efforts of all the members involved all through these days paid off well!

Winners Tally

Handy with a racer
1^st– Maria and Rebeka from Jesus and Mary College
2^nd– Sneha and Stanzin from Gargi College
3^rd– Anjali and Varsha from Gargi College

Western Music Group
1^st– Lady Shri Ram College
2^nd– St. Stephen’s College
3^rd– Kirori Mal and ShaheedSukhdev College of Business Studies

Bon Appe’tit

1^st– AnmolGoyal from ShaheedBhagat Singh College

2^nd– Shradha from Gargi College

Photgraphy Credits: Chirag Sharma for DU Beat.

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Gargi College

Hindu College wins the eastern group music competition at Reverie 2015

By Arushi Pathak February 12, 2015

Day 2 of Reverie, the annual festival of Gargi College commenced with Mudra, the Indian Classical Solo Dance Competition organised by Nazaakat, the Indian Dance Society of Gargi College. The event witnessed the main stage being taken over by exceptional classical dancers whose meticulous moves and vibrant expressions won the audience over.

Performers from numerous colleges across Delhi participated in the event bringing forth their passion for Indian Classical Dance in front of the jury. Myriad dance performances focused on different arenas of the Indian culture highlighting its diversity and vibrancy. Hindu College’s Sumit Sridhar’s performance Krishna Gatha was widely applauded. A couple of performances dedicated to north-eastern India managed to impress the jury and spectators alike.

The event was adjudged by Mrs. Rashmi Bhardwaj, lecturer at Gargi College and Ms. Marie Elangovan who herself is a Bharatnatyam performer and guru. Ms. Elangovan was highly impressed by the entire event and congratulated the college for organising such an event “where young artists can pursue their passion for dance.

“When it came to declare the winners, we took into consideration the natural connection on had with the dance from the heart.”

Charvi Baishy of Gargi College performed Sattriya, a classical dance from Assam which bagged her the first position. Aishwarya Natranjan of Sri Venkateshwara College who performed Bharatnatyam was declared second while LSR’s Amrapali Bhandari’s Kathak performance managed to get her the third position. The jury was also impressed by the impeccable techniques of the dancers of won their hearts.

Samranjini, the Indian Music Society of Gargi College organised the Group Eastern Music Competition-Sargam which welcomed Indian classical musicians to portray their talent in the college auditorium. The preliminary round for this event shortlisted 9 teams out of 13 entries. Soothing music of the Indian classical genre overtook the atmosphere in a melodious trance. Every artist sang in the perfect symphony with their groups.

This event was adjudged by Dr. Deepika Chatterjee, teacher convener of Samranjini, Mrs. Arundhati Bhattacharya, an All India Radio artist and Mrs. Sushmita Kuri, Music Teacher of Amity Group of Schools. While the results were declared timely, it was a mammoth task for the jury to choose the best out of all participating teams. They were observed commenting on the tough competition the teams gave one another.

Hindu College emerged winners in the event. The second position was shared by Daulat Ram College and Sri Venkateshwara College. Kirori Mal College wasn’t far behind and was declared third.

With this, multiple other events across the college campus added a whole zeal to the entire event. The General Quiz saw substantial participation. Various college and cross-college teams were seen keenly and promptly responding to all the questions shot at them. Other events included Chalk it up, Hindi Poetry Competition, Sanskrit Recitation Competition, Over-acting Competition, English Creative Writing Competition and Indian Music (Light) Competition.

Winners Tally:

Mudra- the Indian Solo Dance Competition

1^st position- Charvi Baishy, Gargi College

2^nd position- Aishwarya Nataranjan, Sri Venkateswara College

3^rd position- Amrapali Bhandari, Lady Shri Ram College for Women

Sargam- the Eastern Group Song Competition

1^st position- Hindu College

2^nd position- Daulat Ram College & Sri Venkateswara College

3^rd position- Kirori Mal College

General Quiz

1^st position- Boris Pradhan & Soumya Sagar

2^nd position- Shashank

3^rd position- Akash Bhatt & Rajat Aggarwal and Siddhartha & Jibin

Chalk It up

1^st position- Tejal, Gargi College

2^nd position- Kunal Singh, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College

3^rd position-Heba Safawi, Gargi College

Sanskrit Recitation Competition

1st position- Vaibhav Shukhla, St. Stephen’s College

2nd position- Suruchi, St. Stephen’s College

3rd position- Sonali, Gargi College & Mayuri, Gargi College

Sanskrit Natya Abhivyakti

1st position- Bhavna, Gargi College

2nd position- Sushmita, Gargi College

3rd position- Vaibhav & Suruchi, St. Stephen’s College

Picture Credits- Bharat Mohindru

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Campus Central

Five famous street plays from the fests of 2014!

By Arushi Pathak February 5, 2015

nukkad nataks’ are performed daily by hundreds of students from numerous theatre societies. 2014 saw a bunch of offbeat thought-provoking street play performances which managed to win all hearts.

‘Rehaayi’- Hansraj Dramatics Society, Hansraj College

“Salaakhein humko kya hain roke; Kaid hain apne hi pinjre mein.” These soul-stirring lines managed to justify the plight of the mentally ill criminals lying in various jails across India. ‘Rehaayi’ brought to light the need to understand the agony of such criminals- the need to hear their part of the tale. Hansraj Dramatics Society was widely applauded for the unconventional concept of the play along with many other awards the performers won.

‘Chidiya ki Kahaani’- Manchatantra, S.G.G.S. College of Commerce

Out-rightly and rightly challenging the shackles of patriarchy that vehemently clasp our society, ‘Chidiya ki Kahaani’ gained appreciation for the aptness of the theme. As the performers emphasised ‘Virodh se hi virodh paida hota hai’, the play seemed to touch a subconscious thought in every mind. The team managed to win lots of prestigious awards in the competitions it participated.

‘Bas Samajhne ki Baat Hai!”- Vayam, Shivaji College

‘The elderly have made us what we are today; we owe our past, present our future to them.’ Believing in this fact, Vayam, the theatre society of Shivaji College performed ‘Bas Samajhne ki baat hai’ emphasising on our responsibility towards the elderly and how they deserve every bit of our love and respect to them. Dexterously bringing across the message, the play was certainly one of the most famous ones in 2014.

Sarkar Raj, The Players (Kirori Mal College)

Drawing out a relationship between the ‘Sarkar Raj’ pre and post independence, the street play by and large talked about how the influential authorities in India manage to make their way out; actually imposing their ideologies on people. Predominantly focusing on the chaos over imposition of FYUP, ‘Sarkar Raj’ highlighted the ambiguity of the scenario the imposition followed. It was highly popular among students since almost every DU student could relate to it.

‘We, the people!’- Ankur, S.G.T.B Khalsa College

The name said it all. The play drew out the value of an individual’s vote and opinion in the kind of democracy we have in India. Simply but strongly bringing across its message, ‘We, the people!’ bagged the college a lot of acclaims, bringing ‘Ankur’ in the list of top drama societies across DU.