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Brij Pahwa

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Too bored of the daily routine?

This is one question we all face at some point of time in our lives. Sometimes we reach a tipping point of boredom and every other thing looks as if it will lead to more of tedium. So, how to get yourself out of this situation? Well, the answer is turning on your internet and going online to surf some cool websites which will surely make your day a tad more interesting. In other words, the boredom is bound to go away. So here is a small collection of those websites you must surely visit or subscribe to:

Vine

The short-looping-video sharing website/app Vine Image Credits: adweek.com
The short-looping-video sharing website/app Vine
Image Credits: adweek.com

This platform, also available in the form of an application, takes you to the world of small looping videos. You can share, like, post, repost (revine, in this case) any video of your choice. You can also use hashtags, something which has become a phenomenon in the recent years. The facility of hashtag can also be attributed to the fact that Vine was bought up by twitter soon after its launch.

Flickr

The photo embedding/sharing website Flickr Image Credits: othersiteslike.org
The photo embedding/sharing website Flickr
Image Credits: othersiteslike.org

Not interested in short videos? No issues! You can go to Flickr, a photo embedding/sharing website/app that was launched way back in 2004. Through Flickr, you can check into the online world of millions of images from all the parts of the world and of almost everything that exists on the planet.

8tracks

The app that lets you create playlists and share them through tags and other social media, 8 tracks Image credits: 8tracks.tumblr.com
The app that lets you create playlists and share them through tags and other social media, 8 tracks
Image credits: 8tracks.tumblr.com

This is something for the music lovers out there (well, that includes almost all of us)! 8tracks is one platform through which you can create and listen in to playlists created by other users. The only condition is that the playlists need to be of minimum 8 songs. The experience comes free as well as paid (The paid service is called as 8tracks plus).

Instagram

The popular photo uploading and sharing app Instagram Image credits: colorlib.com
The popular photo uploading and sharing app Instagram
Image credits: colorlib.com

Although, it looks like another photo-sharing website, Instagram allows you a unique experience when it comes to photo sharing. You can add the specifically made class-based filters to make your pictures look better. You can also share your pictures on other social networking sites including Facebook, Tumblr, etc. The latest updates of Instagram also allow you to share your videos and look up videos/pictures of others as well.

Reddit

The website with a difference, Reddit Image Credits: themarysue.com
The website with a difference, Reddit
Image Credits: themarysue.com

This is something different from all the other networking sites. Reddit makes you post links for some specific contents which are then voted up or down with the already existing strong reddit community. The link with most upvotes moves to the first page of their subreddits for being the best voted content.

Featured Image Credits: australianbusinessreview.com.au

Brij Pahwa
[email protected]

A very few organisations today are working to promote the field of foreign policy among the youth of our country. Out of those few, very rarely an organisation stands out and marks its presence on a national as well as global level by organising international conferences and hosting dignitaries such as foreign ambassadors and ministers of different countries.

Youth Forum on Foreign Policy is that organisation which works in the field to promote foreign policy among the youth of India. It is an independent, non partisan, non-profit initiative, which seeks to promote substantive dialogue on India’s foreign policy and make it more responsive to the concerns of our youth. It seeks to promote dialogue and discussion on pressing global issues and provide a platform for young professionals and students to communicate with diplomats, foreign policy experts and foreign policy institutions.

With a humble beginning in 2011 in New Delhi, YFFP has expanded to cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata & Guwahati. Its mission is to forge strong ties with like minded organizations across the globe and make foreign policy a subject of everyday debate & discussion among India’s youth.

Youth Forum on Foreign Policy has previously collaborated with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India; The American Embassy in India; The British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata; Observor Research Foundation; The Singapore High Commission etc and has hosted eminent dignitaries like Nobel Laureate Mr. Joseph Stiglitz, Member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Infosys Co-founder Dr.Nandan Nilekani among others.

YFFP intends to expand its presence in Delhi and has opened chapters in a few colleges of the University of Delhi. The foreign policy think tank looks forward to providing a platform for young minds to shape the country’s foreign policy.

 

 

Every year, societies from colleges across the campus compete neck to neck and put up spectacular performances during the fest season. This year too, saw certain teams shine a little brighter than the rest. We bring you a series with college societies that put their heart and soul into their respective fields and took home the top prizes at various cultural fests.

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions at competitive events held during various cultural fests of this season. Whenever a society won the first prize they were awarded 3 points, for the second position they received 2 points and for the third position, 1 point was added to their tally.

For the Folk Dance category, Nazaakat (Indian Dance Society of Gargi College) scored the maximum points in the tally. Gargi College’s 10 points were followed by the dance society of SGTB Khalsa College that scored 8 points. Sri Venkateswara College bagged third spot scoring 6 points.

The Winning Society at a glance

Nazaakat, Gargi College

Nazaakat – The name itself resonates with the glory of their unity in diversity themed Indian culture. The dance, with its vibrating ghungroos, colourful costumes, intricate choreography and the soul touching expressions showcases the lifestyle of the people like the tradition of worshiping Lord Krishna, urging the masses to join them and dance to their tunes with usage of musical instruments. Both men and women perform ‘Badhai’ with joy and happiness.

Kriti Venkat, the president of Nazaakat said, “We never danced to win a competition. We danced because dance is our raison d’etre. Dance comes from within us. Before every competition we never prayed to win. We prayed that this performance should be better than the previous performance. And maybe this is the reason why we have stood victorious this year!”

Performing Members: Kriti Venkat, Sachi Chopra, Aarushi Saraswat, Pragya Ghosh, Vani Girdhar, Rashi Garg, Charvi Baishya, Kritika Uppal, Apoorva Nambiar, Soumi Chakraborty, Pragati Gupta and Aditi Jain.

Winners Tally: Nazaakat (Gargi College)

13 fests were included in our analysis for this series which were Montage, Nexus, Mecca, Crossroads, Reverie, Ullas, Tarang, Shruti, Manjari, Confluence, Renaissance, Lashkara and Tempest. Out of the considered fests, 6 had conducted a competitive Choreography event. Here is the list of winning performances by Nazaakat (Gargi College):

I Position: Ullas 2015 (Kamala Nehru College) and Montage 2015 (Jesus and Mary College)

II Position: Nexus 2015 (Sri Venkateshwara College) and Tempest 2015 (Miranda House)

(Hover on the icons below to know more about their victories)

Brij Pahwa

[email protected]

According to sources, the reply runs into about 100 pages in which the VC has completely defended his actions. “We have received the reply from the VC but have not examined it yet,” said the Education Secretary SN Mohanty while refusing to divulge the details.

Of the several allegations, one of them is the diversion of OBC funds amounting to rupees 172 crores, which were used to purchase laptops for the students of FYUP batch of 2013. The Vice Chancellor has defended this allegation and sent documents to prove his claim. The Delhi University Teacher’s Association has come heavily over the alleged reports that the VC has defended his actions. DUTA in its official statement stated, “His nonchalant refusal to accept guilt in the matters related to the unauthorised restructuring of FYUP courses, the diversion of crores of rupees from the earmarked OBC expansion grant among other allegations shows that he has scant regard for the rule of law and norms of governance in the public institutions”.

As for the allegation of why was the Bachelor’s in Technology course (B.Tech.) introduced without the approval of All India Council for Technical Education, the VC has replied that AICTE approval was not needed for colleges in which the B.tech. course was introduced.

After examining the letter, the ministry will send a report to the President of India, who is also a visitor to the University to take further action on the Vice-Chancellor, a decision that might remove him or maintain the status quo.

Image Credits- www.collegedunia.com

Brij Pahwa [email protected]

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There are fewer options left when you are bored of the mainstream eateries and want to try out something different; places that give you quality food along with a unique experience. These ‘not so common’ themed restaurants not only give you an unprecedented experience, they also serve food that will leave you craving for more.

Have a look at these peculiar places to make your next dining experience a memorable one:

MoodSwingers_1168930_1422974727105

1)  Mood Swingers: As the name suggests, the place will swing your mood (of course, if you’re not in a good one) as soon as you enter it. The liveliness of the interior will suddenly make you nostalgic since you will be welcomed by a unique seating arrangement. Yes, instead of normal chairs, the place has swings in place, a sincere attempt by the owner to make you relive your pleasant childhood memories. The food served is also best in class and will make your overall experience a pleasant one.

Location: Hudson Lane, North Campus

parikrama-01

2)  Parikrama: This restaurant has been in the centre of the capital since a long time but still gives a unique experience every time you visit its grandeur interiors which revolve at 360 degrees. Parikrama covers a splendid outlook of New Delhi in a single revolution which takes around 90 minutes. The panoramic view of the city along with quality food will surely give a once in a lifetime experience.

Location: Connaught Place, New Delhi

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3)  Sodabottleopenerwala: Do not go on the quirkiness of the name as this restaurant serves you a wonderful Parsi cuisine, something which you would not find at any eatery in Delhi/NCR. The place is themed in 80s bollywood style with an ambience adhering to the theme perfectly.

Location: Cyber Hub, Gurgaon

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4)  Johnny Rockets: While this place serves you authentic American fast food cuisine, the extremely friendly nature of the staff is a feature that will enthral you. Another peculiar highlight of the eatery is that the staff constantly breaks into a choreographed jig after every hour or so.

Location: Select City Walk, Saket

tihar

5)  Tihar Food Court: As amusing as it may sound, Asia’s largest jail, The Tihar has a food court in place for the general public. Opened recently, the plaza serves quality food at minimal costs with staff comprising the jail inmates.

Location: Tihar Jail, New Delhi

 

Picture Credits: www.cuisinelinks.com, www.dineout.co.in, www.grouptable.com, www.gurgaonmoms.com

 

Who wouldn’t remember the match between India and Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup 2011? The match generated one of the highest TRPs ever; shutters of shops were down for the entire day, businesses were shut, roads were bought to a standstill; even in countries where Cricket is not that a popular game, this particular Cricket match was seen by millions! This is what takes place when there happens to be a World Cup Cricket match between India and Pakistan. It just does not remain a Cricket match anymore, but transforms into a clash of personalities, sentiments and much more between the two countries.

Well, history is sure to get repeated now  on 15th February, when Cricket players from both the countries will again meet for a World Cup India v/s Pakistan match in Australia. Yes, it has been four years and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is about to start in Australia.

Precedent has it that Pakistan has never been able to beat India in a World Cup match! As shocking as it may sound, the fact is true. This is when Pakistan has a better winning record in one-day international cricket than India. Adding to the already heated up contest, this particular piece of information makes the World Cup Cricket matches between both the countries even more interesting since Pakistan is always eyeing for their first ever World Cup win over India and India on the other hand plays to defend its world record feat of not losing ever against Pakistan in a world cup match. To add to an already exciting contest scheduled on 15th of February, some high-profile political dignitaries and top actors from both the countries are also expected to be present during the match.

With hardly any time left, both teams have accumulated their resources and are working hard day in and day out to have an edge over the opposing team and battle it out during the final contest on the Cricket play field. What is there to look forward to would be the class batting of the talented Indian batsmen and fierce pace of the gifted Pakistani seam bowling! Also on the cards would be an even contest since both the sides in the past have performed equally well in one-day international Cricket.

 DU Beat wishes the Indian Cricket team for the awaited India v/s Pakistan match as well as the whole championship. Save the Cup, boys!

Image source: www.productrating.in

‘Saptak’- The eastern classical music solo competition was organised by Samranjini (the music society of Gargi College) during the ongoing fest of Gargi College, Reverie 2015.

The event saw a participation of around 19 talented singers from different colleges of the university as well as colleges from outside Delhi. Songs like ‘Lal meri pat rkhiyo bala jhoolelal’ and ‘Sun charkha di mithi chuk’ with their beautiful melodies enthralled the audiences. Even the judges seemed to like the performances put up by the young singers.

Dr. Deepika Chatterji, who is also the teacher convener of Gargi’s music society, had a different point of view,”Participants sung beautifully but some of them were out of the sura (tune).”

 

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Saptak Chhatopadhyay from Hansraj College performing at the competition. He won the second prize. Image credits: Bharat Mohindru

Pavithra Chari from LSR with her outstanding performance bagged the first prize while Hansraj College’s Saptak Chhatopadhyay won the second prize. The 3rd position was shared by Saayon Sen and Rahul Gupta from DTU and Sadhana Sangeet College respectively.

When asked about his performance, Saptak Chhatopadhyay said, ‘I added some new pieces in between, parts which I had not expect myself to sing on stage though it all fared out pretty well for me’.

Winner’s Tally:

1st position- Pavithra Chari, Lady Shri Ram College

2nd position- Saptak Chhatopadhyay, Hansraj College

3rd position- Saayon Sen, DTU and Rahul Gupta, Sadhna Sangeet College

 

Indian Music Instrumental:

1st position- Rajeev Prasanna- HIndu College

2nd psoition- Megha Rawoot- Miranda House

3rd position- Saptak Sharma- Kirori Mal College

Featured Image credits: Chirag Sharma

 

When it comes to celebrating festivals, us Homo sapiens can go to unprecedented levels and try some of the wackiest and weirdest practices by justifying them as age old traditions. Well, so is the case when it comes to celebrating the year’s last eve, the night of December 31st! While most of us just like casual partying, there are some groups and tribes which go beyond the usual. Here are some of the most unusual New Year traditions around the world!

1) Colored underwear: What, colored underwear? Yes! So is the case in Mexico and Brazil, where people wear colorful underwear and panties on the New Year’s Eve. The tradition goes on when one wears the color designated for a specific purpose. For example, if you want to find love in the next year, you will probably wear red underclothes, on the other hand, if you want to get richer, you wear a yellow one.

2) Burning popular celebrities and politicians: Scared, are you? Well, don’t be since in Panama people only burn the effigies of popular celebrities and politicians on the New Year’s Eve. The effigies are locally known as muñecos and are burnt on bonfires.

3) Wishing cows: Do you think that livestock is taken care of only in India? Well, if you do think so, then you’re probably wrong, since in Belgium farmers make it a point to wish their cows a Happy New Year. The case probably is that farmers, in order to make their cows produce more milk during the next year try to appease them; by what? Just by wishing them a Happy New Year.

4) Sleepover in a cemetery: Cemeteries worldwide have been known to be the place of the dead. But in Chile they become place for the living human being when the night of the New Year arrives. Families in Chile are much happier by sleeping next to their deceased loved ones rather than by partying and enjoying in a local club or bar on the 31st night!

5) Jumping into the jaws of cold: Nothing more can be expected out of Russians on the New Year’s Eve when some of the local groups of Siberia consume lots and lots of Vodka and jump into frozen lakes carrying a somewhat unusual thing, a tree trunk.

Howsoever weird these traditions might look; they carry a tinge of innocence and remind us that deep down we are a people who still love to have fun in a world dominated by war.

Cheers! Wishing you a very Happy New Year.

Today, one of the topmost colleges of the University of Delhi, Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa also features among the top colleges for commerce in India. Situated at the north campus of the university, the college boasts of a 5 building structure with a world class sports stadium along with a lawn tennis and a basketball court. As you enter the Guru Tegh Bahadur Road from the northern side of the campus, you will see the college’s gate right at the start, at the back of which is the standing structure of the college.

Being a student of this college, one might be accustomed to the daily hustle bustle, speaking in franker words; the college always looks like a party place with almost everyone dressed up in formal clothes. If you really want to enjoy such an environment and are bored of your boring college routines, you should visit SGTB Khalsa College and especially its standout area, ‘jannat’. Jannat is located at the centre of the college and is a hub of almost all the activities that take place in the premises. From the art society displaying various art forms to the photography society featuring its best photo shoots, from the dramatics society’s street plays to the Music society’s foot-tapping performances, Jannat sees it all through the year. The name comes from the fact that the place is beautifully maintained and also has an exquisite lawn.

The college’s newly opened multi-storied air-conditioned library (also half of the college’s class rooms have air-conditioning system in place) has books on almost all the topics available to mankind. The topmost floor of the library is glass-walled and honestly speaking, looks like a squash court. But, such silent is the premises of the library that one can sit there the whole day in solitude reading, well, just books. As you head your way out from the library, you will see cafe coffee day’s ‘cafe day express’, welcoming you to try its hot coffee along with exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian snacks. Though, if you prefer something more sub-continental, you can head straight using a narrow passage to the college’s canteen. There, you will find all the mouth watering foods from aloo-ki-tikki to North Indian Thaali. Though the odd thing about the canteen is that the bill you get features the name of Miranda House instead of the college’s own name. Too much affinity, I guess.

Anyway, taking out the rhetoric, the college is almost perfectly located, with the Kamla Nagar market, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar market and the Hudson lane at just a walking distance. At these 3 places, you can find almost anything including hostels, rented-out flats, exotic cafes, road-side fast food joints and much more. If you are visiting for the first time, it is recommended that you do visit the Tom Uncle’s Maggie point and the Wood Box cafe.

So, once you are here at the North Campus, SGTB Khalsa is a college you must surely visit and since the fest season is near, you should also attend the college’s annual fest ‘Lashkara’ which features almost all the punjabi celebrities from the music world.