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Ayesha Sareen

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In a three day event held on 24th, 26th and 27th of October, IP College’s English debating society ‘Samvaad’ successfully organised its second Freshers’ Parliamenatry Debate Tournament. Involving participation from almost all of DU, the event began with 40 teams and 60 adjudicators for the debating rounds.

The teams got the expert judgement of a very prolific and respected adjudicators’ core, consisting of Vardhan Arora (former KMC student), Rijul Kataria (former Hindu student) and Vibhor Mathur (Hindu College student). The 3 on 3 Asian Parliamentary Debating style was followed throughout the event. Beginning with 5 preliminary rounds and some break rounds, 8 teams proceeded to the next round. The teams were exposed to interesting motions based on various randomly selected themes of politics, sports, education and so on.

The finale saw Ramjas College and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies fighting it out for the coveted title on the motion “This house believes that the LGBT community should form a political party”. Shaheed Sukhdev College proudly took home the winners award. The best adjudicator award was given to Shaurya from Kirori Mal College, while the second best was a tie between Srishti Vasudeva also from Kirori Mal College and Anandeshwari of IP College.

The event proved to be a good learning experience for all students and set the tone for upcoming debates in the next season.

Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers from the movie Gone Girl!

“This man of mine may truly kill me.”

Gone Girl is a chilling story of a married couple, Amy and Nick, from Missouri. Amy Elliot Dunne was happy in a five year long marriage with Nick Dunne, but he wanted an exit from it. The day he was going to tell this to his wife, she disappeared. What followed was Nick being suspected for the murder of his wife. A vicious circle of lies and proof deepened his already difficult life in Missouri, into that of constant upheavals and disturbances. He was constantly dictated around Amy’s directions from the Anniversary Special Treasure Hunt, even in her absence.

Now, he was sinful with infidelity, and he was an ignorant husband. But, Amy was not the damsel in distress after all. She wasn’t ‘missing’, she was in hiding; hiding to see her husband get penalized with death for the murder of his wife. A carefully planned project by a very clever sociopath-psychologist, Amy Dunne planned her own assault and ran away, waiting to kill herself carefully, so that her corpse be found at the correct time. But, she couldn’t do it, and that is when she involved Desi Collings, her since-high school-smitten-ex. Soon however, she found Nick begging her to come back on national television to put an end to all this. This is when she decides to frame Desi. She first assaulted herself and then slit the unsuspecting Desi’s throat and ran away as a fleeing victim, back to her husband. What’s more she used IVF to keep her husband in the marriage. This dramatic turn of events comes as a startling surprise to the audience.

Coming to the actors, Ben Affleck, contrary to what critics say, has proved again that he is a brilliant actor. Neil Patrick Harris does a spectacular job as Desi Collings, what with his eyes doing the talking! Tyler Perry as the lawyer, Tanner Bolt and Carrie Coon as Margo Dunne, Nick’s twin, were great too. But, I give all my congratulations and applause to Rosamund Pike, who, as Amy Elliot Dunne, was  shocking and impressive, and she pulled it off above my expectations.

The book of the same name, by Gillian Flynn is a must-read! But I’d recommend reading the book before watching the movie. It will scare the brains out of you, and is a skillfully crafted masterpiece. As for the movie, it complements the book as an apt adaptation. Watch it and you will be amazed!

Image source: msmagazine.com

Started in 2001, Harvard US-India Initiative (HUII) was initially a student led organization aimed at bringing together youth from India and US to foster growth and address the most pressing matters of Indian politics, economy, culture and society. Having already encompassed memberships from five countries and 15 different colleges, HUII conference team has been organizing chapters and annual conferences about Indian development not just at Harvard but also at SRCC and SPJMR. It aims to provide a platform to the youth to discuss issues and provide solutions, to the youth who are willing to bring change to their nation. The core of their ideology is investment in future.

This time HUII is holding its largest youth conference at Hotel Shangri-La, New Delhi on 9th and 10th January 2015. With an aim to discuss the multiple aspects of India’s past and future, the conference will be hosting 450 students from high schools and universities from across the world. These participants will choose to attend 5 out of 20 sessions on offer, ranging from Indian political drama to economic severity to the cultural vastness and social domain of our nation.

Registrations for the conference are now open, but getting selected is no cakewalk.

An online application taking a detailed account of your contribution to your educational institutions and future plans will be studied and on the basis of merit, the cream of the lot will be selected as delegates. In fact, to ensure that the brightest minds do get an opportunity to attend the forum, financial aid will be provided to those that require it.

Besides the panels, a case study competition will also be organized, the winner of which will be awarded the annual HUII Recognition Award for Best Entrepreneurial Potential along with some prize money. The concluding event is set to a meet-and-greet networking event and a social to garner better understanding between the participants.

To register for the conference, follow the link:
http://www.harvardindiainitiative.com/#!registration/con8

Ayesha Sareen
[email protected]

In a letter and memorandum submitted to the Executive Director of the School of Open Learning on October 7, 2014, the postgraduate students of Political Science expressed their grievances regarding the teaching structure of the faculty and management. While bringing to light their problems with the faculty, they also mentioned how the lack of course material and library access were posing difficulties for them.

Through the letter, the political science students, DU SOL Students’ Union and Krantikari Yuva Sangathan demanded that they be provided with the course material immediately as they will be sitting for their exams this November. The letter states that without the course material, they cannot be expected to take exams in a month’s time. Also, they described how inefficient the teachers were, most of them inexperienced with the postgraduate teaching levels, and asked for the Faculty of Political Science or that of SOL to teach them, since the course if designed by them. Moreover, in comparison to regular university students who attend 90 lectures in a semester, SOL students only get 15, on the weekends, and yet they are expected to compete at the same levels.

They also brought to notice the issue of the SOL library, which is closed on Saturday and Sunday, the only days when SOL holds classes for them. They question as to how they are supposed to borrow course books, which are usually unavailable or in a grim condition, when the library is not open. Also, since SOL follows the annual pattern rather than the semester system, the students thus have no internal assessment and have to sit for a whole 100 marks paper, a contradiction to the 75+25 pattern of regular university students.

The letter demanded that the course material be provided immediately, and the teaching staff be improved. Also, there should be two days of classes every week and their answer scripts be checked by SOL or the department of Political Science, and requested that their results be declared in time, so that they are eligible to apply somewhere else. They requested that till the time SOL library is being renovated, they be issued library cards for the Central Library, and the new and renovated library must have multiple copies of syllabi-suggested books, in proper condition. Lastly, they requested that their grievances be addressed as soon as possible, and some amount of parity be brought between them and the regular university students, as it is they who require the support of SOL the most.

When Aamir Khan is on National Television, everyone knows ‘it’ is coming. ‘It’ will open eyes. ‘It’ will show the reality that no one is willing to accept, and make it acceptable. ‘It’ will show problems and simultaneously give us hope. ‘It’ is coming.

It is Change. Change is coming. ‘MUMKIN HAI!’

And Satyamev Jayate is back again, every Sunday at 11am on Star Plus and Star World.

The first episode of the third season was on ’Sports, a catalyst to change lives’. With the recent culmination of the Incheon Asian Games and India performing superbly, with obviously its due share of controversies, this first episode was well-aired. Through a number of real stories and real people, known and unknown, the show and its host gave everyone an insight on what sports has done. Not everyone is an over-achiever in sports, yet those who have given something to the field have yielded something or the other from it.

With a round of inspiring stories of Slum Soccer, Village Wrestlers, Village Golfer, Magic Bus Foundation and Aged-Women Athletes, Satyamev Jayate brought to light the fact that a game is like an addiction, you just have to find your passion. Certain facts like, the existence of proper soccer tournaments for slums, or that our government is inadequate in honing the brimming-cauldron of talent in our nation, made the viewers wonder what is happening in the country. On one hand, our government, which stresses on studies and youth empowerment, fails to recognize and provide impetus for the sport-enthusiasts and achievers. And, here come the various foundations like Isha Foundation or Magic Bus Foundation that work at the grass-root level, in villages, slums and those nook and crannies where the government should extend its hands in.

We stress that kids must play, but they study too. We want achievers in Olympics, but we forget those who have achieved, very soon. We wish to compete with China, but what we are looking at is 6 lakh stadiums and a compulsory referendum on physical health. Our villages are overflowing with sportspersons, because India is a labor-intensive country, with our major occupation being agriculture largely depends on manual labor, on people who work, weight lift, wrestle, run, and do gymnastics every day. We have the underprivileged children whose lives are not spent around books and gadgets, but natural tools and equipments of athletics and gymnastics.

Our sportspersons do not rise out of concrete gyms, rather the ‘akhadaas’ of our villages.

In short, one should give their children the chance and opportunity to choose a sport, let it not be a pressure on them to excel in both studies and sports, but they should be provided with enough opportunities to test their abilities. Satyamev Jayate has now returned again, bringing with it a hope for ‘change’.

‘Ab Mumkin Hai’!

Image Courtesy: www.indicine.com

Come winter and one rejoices not just with the onset of festivals but also with the complete change of atmosphere. The most spectacular aspect of the 10-day period of festivities is the way 3 festivals connect people across religious communities and beliefs. I had the opportunity to finally get a glimpse of Delhi’s Durga Puja.

Durga Puja is a five-day festival beginning on the sixth day or Sashti of the Navratri week. The day is commemorated by establishing an idol of the Goddess with a Puja in the day and during the evening. For each of those five days, the Goddess is worshipped, celebrated, pleased and praised for her qualities and beauty. The following days involve worshipping and finally on Ashtami, married women fast for their families. This day also includes the Sandhi Puja, wherein 108 diyas are lit around the Goddess and the calm and glowing environment beckons one to talk to Maa and convey one’s feelings. Navami sees a Hawan to purify the air around. Dashami is the last day, when the Goddess is prepared for return to her marital home, by immersing her in water. The day signifies new beginnings and ventures. On Dashami, married women wear white saris and smear red gulaal on each other’s face, celebrating their womanhood. In some places, people also dance with Dhunuchi, the coal-lit diya, as a gesture to please Maa Durga. Children study on this day to gain wisdom and blessings for a brighter future. The rituals include chanting mantras and offering Patanjali to Maa. On the eleventh day, or Ekadashi, Shanti Jal is sprinkled on the devotees and mantras are recited, requesting the Goddess to return next year again.

Like any other festival, the customs include wearing new clothes on every day and a range of delicacies to feast on. While food during the Puja includes pulao, khichdi, puri and Bengali sweets, namely rasgullas, sandesh, mishti doi, coconut-stuffed pancakes and date-jaggery kheer, the Dashami delicacies include steamed hilsa, hot and spicy fish, prawns in coconut milk, mutton, chicken and potatoes in poppy seed paste.

Here’s how Durga Puja was celebrated in two of the most famous pandals of Delhi:

Chittaranjan Park

Kolkata is my hometown. Till last year I had celebrated my ‘Durga Puja Week’ in the ‘City of Joy’, however this year I didn’t get the opportunity to do so. Frankly, I was not expecting much from Delhi’s Puja, but it would not be wrong to say that I made a huge mistake by underestimating Chittaranjan Park’s potential to surprise me.

The same fervour, the same atmosphere and the same excitement – thousands of people were forming queues to enter into the pandals in different blocks. What irritated me a bit was that it was a little less organized. However I did have the patience to enter 3 Pandals in C.R. Park itself. The ‘Kali Mandir’ Puja was nostalgic and had an earthy atmosphere. The Idol was one of the beautiful pieces of art I had ever seen. Then we walked our way towards the ‘Mela Ground’. The area is extremely big. It reminded me of Kolkata’s very own Maddox Square. The beautiful idol here had a traditional vibe to it. Finally we went to the ‘Cooperative Ground, Durga Puja Samity’ Puja. This was quite different. The Idol like others was beautiful, but the pandal had a ‘stairway to heaven’ theme to it. There was a separate stage for cultural events, where people danced, sang and kept the festive spirit alive.

Civil Lines

I was lucky to be able to visit one of the oldest pandal in the capital, at Civil Lines, opposite Indraprastha College for Women, hosting Durga Puja since 1910. The aura of orange and yellow drapes and ceilings with colorful lanterns immediately caught my eye. Mr. B. Mukherjee, the convener of the Puja informed me that the first idol worshipped here was brought from Benares in 1912. Later, in 1915, the organizers first arranged for an idol from Delhi itself. I got to be a part of the morning puja – I chanted the mantras with flower petals in my hands, and realised that they were the Sanskrit shlokas we chanted in school. Although everything I laid eyes on was mesmerising, I will especially mention how smitten I was with the Idol. As she stood magnificently, towering her faithful devotees, the shimmer of small glasses around her produced an everlasting impression on me. The charna-amrit after the Puja and the prasad consisting of fruits, dates and sweets left me all the more holy.

If you missed the opportunity this year, keep in mind that there is a 104-year old Durga Puja right here in North Campus and make a point to visit it next year.

With inputs from Ishaan Sengupta.
Featured image credit: www.tourmyindia.com

Indraprastha College for Women is the oldest women’s college of the University of Delhi and was founded in 1924 as a part of the nation-wide campaign for women’s education and empowerment, at the call of Annie Besant. The college premises saw a number of shifts from Old Delhi to Chandrawali Bhawan to the present Alipore House site which was the then office of the Commander-in-Chief. Having witnessed the British style parties and balls, the College is a heritage site and thus, proudly retains its architecture from the good old days.

The college is situated in the posh area of Civil Lines with an excellent metro connectivity from the college walls. Yes, the college has its own Metro Gate! The only neighbouring site to the college though is the National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control. But, IPites are undeterred. The college campus is sufficient enough to kill time in, it is that huge!

Free periods are mostly spent in the college’s very own Majnu ka Tilla, or the circular canteen, the library, bleachers, back lawns, gymnasium, tut-rooms, front lawns, pavilions or even empty classrooms. In winters especially, one can find girls sunbathing in the college field or soaking the sunlight in the back lawns.

While most girls like to remain in the campus, there is Moet’s-the Chinese restaurant and Mocha’s for the affluent who prefer to drop there in groups. Sant Parmanand Hospital across the college has Bikano, which is very affordable for anyone. The Momo’s Point and the Roll Point near the Metro Station are also frequently visited sites, along with the Wai-Wai noodles in the Metro station premises. You will often find girls sitting behind a narrow lane of the station, eating and smoking, or at the station steps chatting and laughing. But, the college’s favourite eatery remains the Bun-Tikki Wala aka Banta Wala, just outside the college gate. Anytime after he opens his shop, one can find around 25 girls standing and ordering his range of delicacies, rushing in and out of college between classes for the quick snack.

Is that all to a life of an IPite? No. A 40 rupee ride to Kamla Nagar and GTB Nagar is all it takes if one wishes. Shopping, partying or simply singing loudly from their cars on the Ridge is what Ipites generally enjoy doing. Technically not in Campus, but very much a part of it!
The college canteen is often flooded with students, who have a variety to offer from the menu, at affordable prices. Chhole Bhature, Dosa, Chilli Potato, Cold Coffee, Sev Puri, Juices and a lot more is never kept out of service. A huge demand is always catered by a large supply.

The college is a photographer’s heaven! With peacocks and parrots around 365 days of the year, the college’s green campus with sprawling environment all around is natural photographic scenery. IPCW boasts of a beautiful front garden with a breathtaking variety of roses and other flowers and a scenically placed fountain. Another photographic place is the graffiti wall in the college.

The college has a wide range of societies to offer. Abhivyakti, the well-reknowned DramSoc in the DU Circuit and Afroza, the much-praised Western Dance Society, amongst several others, are the proud achievers of many competitions and events, bringing much praise to the college. The college has individual achievers too, from mountaineers to academic achievers, to national-level sportswomen.

Shruti, the annual college-fest is a favourite amongst the DUites. With Singers like Kailaash Kher and Euphoria having performed here in the past, the wide range of activities keeps everyone on their toes, in a fun way. The college-hostels are proud hosts of their independent Proms/ Guest Nights, held in February, which sees a lot of enthusiasm and dancing all evening.

As a part and parcel of an IPites’ life, every student is imbibed with the values of ‘keeping the college clean and tidy’ and ‘helping the needy’. An IPite is fashionable, fun, studious, helping, aware, success-oriented, opportunistic, crazy and hungry-for-food. But, the best part is that the life of a girl of IP College is guy-free. When in IPCW, you won’t miss guys for long, you will have girlfriends and they will be your best mates for life!

IP College for Women has asked every student to pay Rs.10 compulsorily and more, voluntarily. Apart from that it has voluntarily been collecting since 13th September chlorine bleaching tablets, powdered food, medicines, syringes, blankets, clothes, baby products, candles, matchsticks, shawls, woolens, torches, toiletries et al. Jesus and Mary College has already been able to collect blankets, torches, medicines, sanitary napkins, bed sheets, shawls, umbrellas, and nearly 200-300 people have contributed till now, and the number and collection amount is sure to go up by 17th September, the last day of the collection drive. Kalindi College held a rally on 12th September urging everyone to donate and help in the relief campaign. The rally constituted the whole college population, both teachers and students. The Dramatics Society of the college also performed on the theme ‘Save Kashmir Flood Victims’. Apart from the huge collection achieved in kind and goods, the college was able to raise around 1,85,000 rupees for the cause. The NSS unit of DCAC held a collection drive for J&K flood victims on 16th September, in association with Kashmir Foundation for Social Change, a Kashmir based NGO. Students donated generously both in cash and in kind. The Street Play Society, Leher did a call and a short skit to inform people about the situation in the valley and encourage them to donate. Students participated actively by writing messages for the flood victims and singing inspirational songs while they were video graphed. A video was also shot wherein it started with a consoling message for the flood victims and was followed by a large group of students singing the National Anthem. To end the day on a light note, a group of students from the North East and some musicians did a jam session to show their concern and support for the people in the valley. Numerous cartons of clothes, medicines, water bottles, food packets were collected along with about Rs. 24,000 in cash which will be utilised to buy relief material of immediate need. [gallery ids="26388,26389,26386"] Dayal Singh College also collected goods and cash department wise for the relief work which was further sent to Jamia Milia Islamia University for dispatch. About every other college of Delhi University joined in the relief and donation campaign through college unions, NSS, Enactus, NGOs, other societies, institutions and universities to contribute for the same. Apart from that, the colleges were very forthcoming in sensitizing and popularizing the need to help and save the flood victims, through posters, meetings, announcements, enactments, rallies, drives, public urging, message circulation, notices and a lot more. Colleges like Hansraj, DCAC and volunteers from many other colleges came together on 13th-14th September, in CP, in association with Kashmir Foundation for Social Change to collect and urge people to donate. A substantial amount of collection and donations have already been dispatched for to Kashmir.   Image courtesy: Enactus LSR and NSS unit, DCAC]]>

When in college, does a student understand how important it is to have a good resume? And to have a good resume, one must be able to mention an attractive list of experiences and references. While part-time jobs and internships are the only things manageable with college studies, it is quite important that there exists a medium which acts as a bridge between the students and the companies.

One such intermediary is FYGW (Find Your Great Work), a startup of Mr. Amit Pandey and Mr. Bhuvan Singhal that does exactly the same, bringing the talented opportunities and startups, the talent.  Having been in the startup hiring industry for two years now, it has worked with many startups, through collaborations and partnerships, and also with many colleges like SRCC, IIT-D, DTU, delivering them the best of talents and opportunities.

FYGW.in is currently hiring Campus Ambassadors who will help them to take their initiative a step further by increasing their scope of reach. The Campus Ambassador program is being launched in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore simultaneously. The Campus Ambassadors, as representatives, will be trained in various business and career related skills, helped to establish commercial contacts, expand professional network, work on very key corporate cases, and learning to handle issues and responsibilities. Apart from that, the Campus Ambassadors will be given challenges and opportunities where they have the freedom to organize events and activities, fix meetings and publicize new opportunities and internships, thus making leaders out of young minds.

Soon, in association with MTV and NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups, they will be launching #Selfiethon, an ‘employer branding’ and ‘winter intern hiring’ campaign that will allow the worthy to work with top hundred startups in the country as winter interns. On the basis of the credentials, 100 candidates will be chosen and will get paid internships. For the startups, on the other hand, it is a novel chance to brand themselves in the market.

Apply for Campus Ambassadors program at campus-ambassdors.bearebel.in

To check out the #Selfiethon campaign, log on to www.fyge.in/selfiethon

 

On 3rd September, Hindu College hosted a Book Launch session for Vigilante Publications. The event was mainly about releasing their new publication ‘DU Love’. DU Love is an anthology of twenty-four short stories written by the alumni and current students of Delhi University.

Vigilante Publications came up with this competition at the beginning of this year, asking for entries form DU students. DU Love is a collection of love stories fused with other genres written by DU students and set in DU. Among the various entries sent, 24 of them got chosen to be published in this book. The book consists of everything from pining lovers, zombies and ghosts to jealous lovers, robots and aliens.

The event at Hindu saw a vast audience which included the authors, along with the panelists responsible for picking out entries and choosing the best three winners of DU Love cash prizes. The event also saw a discussion on Creative Writing, encouraging the audience to read, write and pen more such stories and creative pieces. While it was clearly mentioned that romance as a genre is over-exhausted, yet it is a vibrant topic nonetheless. Thus, making this idea of fusion of romance with other genres and making a cross-genre story novel was an interesting challenge.

The panelists included the judges and the editor, who lauded the efforts of the writers. A few writers even got the chance to read out special sections and extracts from their stories and gave insights into the motivation and inspiration behind their works. Mr. Shoven Chaudhary, one of the panelists, said “I request the audience to please read these stories and support these budding writers.”  Sami Ahmad Khan, the editor, shared his experience and how much he enjoyed reading each story and editing it. Dr. Nambiar said, “I have not been able to put the book down. It was quite a roller coaster. There was one thing in common though, love articulated for DU and spaces for love that nobody knew existed in DU.” The event ended with the Prize Distribution Ceremony.

The 24 writers are:

Lakshmi Menon , Jayati Das, Aimen Khan, Rosheena Zehra, Adishi Gupta, Anisha Sen, Ayushi Sharma, Abiral Kumar, Somrita Ganguly, Nishtha, Riya Raj, Mohd. Salman, Supriya Chatterjee, Suryanshu Guha, Ariba Usman, Suchi Mahato, Swara Shukla, Shruti Kirti, Joyee Das, Arghya Sengupta, Rishabh Bhardwaj, Parul Dutta, Brahmjeet Singh and Ayesha Sareen.

du love