Esperanza 2017, the annual corporate extravaganza of Synergy S.S.C.B.S., the corporate society of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, wrapped up recently and it was a sight to behold. The two-day event saw the best minds from across the DU circuit congregate to battle in this business fest. With the theme of all around the world, the journey began on 15th February 2017 and the destination was reached on 16th February 2017.
The event saw applications from over one thousand students, with top sixty-five participants selected after two rigorous rounds of screening to attend the final event. The event was based on Human Resource, Marketing, Finance, and all aspects of a global business, making it the ultimate corporate learning experience. Loaded with interactive sessions, custom-made tasks, and corporate simulations, the two days had participants on their toes at all times. They had to build a business from scratch and tackle the challenge of running an empire on foreign lands. The tasks tested their ability to handle spontaneous changes, critical and creative thinking, and strategising and negotiation skills. Esperanza saw many eminent speakers gracing the occasion to impart their bit of experience and learning to the participants. The Opening Ceremony was held at the Constitution Club of India before shifting the base to the North Campus Conference Centre, Delhi University, for the next day. The winners were decided on the basis of the cumulative performance of the teams in all tasks. The two days of intense competition saw Team Stark emerging victorious, followed closely by The Medellin. Anusha Sinha of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies was declared the best performer of the event.
Synergy has, in the past, delivered many successful corporate events, and Esperanza 2017 continues the legacy. The wagon has arrived, the competition is won, but the memories remain. Esperanza 2017 was indeed a journey to remember.
The 3-day annual cultural extravaganza conducted by Gargi College played host to enthralling competitions and star-studded events which drew curtains on its golden jubilee celebrations this year.
Reverie, Gargi College’s annual cultural fest was hosted from 14th to 16th February 2017. This year was a special year for Gargi College as it celebrated its golden jubilee year. Hence the theme for the fest was decided as ‘a fiesta for renaissance’.
There are events which do not kick start but rather simmer and build up. The first day of Reverie 2017 reached its crescendo on similar lines. It started on a high note with the inaugural speech given by Ratna Pathak Shah, a beloved TV and film actress who is best known for her role as Maya Sarabhai in the popular TV show, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. In her speech, she spoke about the importance of art, culture, theatre and cinema in our socially and politically heated times. She set the perfect precursor to the day ahead, sharing her experiences as a student and the role of competitions in shaping lives.
Moving on, the day played host to popular competitive events like Saptak, the duet singing competition, Dhanak, the folk dance competition, Khayal, the solo singing competition and Zenith, the western dance competition.
The reverberations of the first day of the 3-day extravaganza at Reverie 2017 ended with the epic bacchanalia at the main stage. The performance of Bismil had the audience mesmerised as they covered popular Bollywood numbers.
Day 2 of Reverie began on a melodious note by Samranjini, the Indian choir music competition.
Day 2 at #Reverie kicked off with amazing performances by the Indian Music Societies of various colleges! Credits: Vegh Daswani for DU Beat pic.twitter.com/nerr6T2H0X
Following this, the power packed nukkad natak competition, Aabhaas was held by Kshitij, the Hindi theatre society of Gargi College.
The day also featured events like the ad making competitionheld by Cinematrix, the film making society of the college andReverie Idol, the Hindi solo singing competition. Next up in the line was the English stage play completion, Nivacanna, hosted by Gargi College’s stage play society, Upstage. The event was then succeeded by the highlight of Day 2, presence of actress and model Urvashi Rautela’s, an alumuna of Gargi College.
Day 3 at Reverie, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College, kicked off with enthralling performances in the western acapella competition by various western music societies across Delhi University. The day continued with the western duet competition and the western solo competition. Following these events, Reverie 2017 took a star studded turn when RJ Khurafati Nitin from Fever 104 also came to the fest as a speaker for an event. He promoted his new talk show At Fever 104 and made the audience laugh with his sketch. The next event was Cursive-iti, which was the western choreography competition, which saw nine participating groups from various colleges. Sanya Malhotra, who played Babita Phogat in the Aamir Khan starer Dangal, and an alumnus of Gargi College, graced the stage of her alma mater with co-star Aparshakti Khurana. The two actors danced to hits like Dhaakad and London Thumakda and answered questions from their fans.
Reverie ended with an electrifying closing performance by popular Bollywood singer Shalmali Kholgade. She charmed the audience with her melodious voice and super hit tracks like Pareshaan, Raabta and Agar Tum Saath Ho among other popular Bollywood tracks. Reverie, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College wrapped up with a powerful performance, which shall be cherished until next year!
With the onset of spring, comes the dilemma of deciding what to wear. And with stores flooding with garments for the season, picking the right one for the right occasion according to the breezy, pleasant weather makes the head spin! But fret not – here’s our guide to making your spring festivities all the more classy, fun and easy.
Don’t let the dark rule!
Winters have been our dark times (not too literally, though!) and after months of packing the wardrobe with dark tones, like greys and browns, it’s time to push them aside to let in the brightness of this season. Pick up garments with brighter basic colours like ivory and lime yellow or pastels like lilac or peach. Or, pep up your look with colourful and bright accessories in single or multi colours.
Ditch the denims
Denims have been our loyal mates who work the year round to make our life easy and comfy, but it is time to ditch the thick fabric for more comfortable and breathable stuff. Pick up some vibrant bottoms instead of the basic blue denims, and team them up with your favourite dark or bright shades (because we know that you can’t get enough of the black)!
Let the bold prints out
Welcome the season with bold prints and show off a bold style statement, or try patterned prints over solid pastel colours, but make sure to wear those that complement your individual style statement. The best part about wearing prints is that they are apt for all occasions, casual or formal. All that needs to be taken care of is the fabric used, as different fabrics allow the print to make different statements.
Keep it experimental yet easy
The most crucial part of the styling journey is keeping it easy. While carrying any outfit, what matters the most is that how confidently one does it, and this is possible only by picking garments that keep you easy and comfortable. However flooded the stores may be with bohemian clothing, pick only those that wouldn’t feel even the least bit uncomfortable. But this mustn’t stop you from being experimental this spring! Experiment with colours, with footwears, bags or accessories, or try different hairdos while ditching your regular go-to options.
Here’s the style guide for this spring, so that you break away from the cozy warm winter clothing with a punch of hue and brightness.
Continuing the glory and glamorous spectacle of the award season, the British Academy Film Awards were held on February 12th 2017 to honour the brilliant pieces of work portrayed in the last year. With La La Land, Nocturnal Animals, Moonlight, and other movies bagging series of nominations and subsequent awards, the starry night witnessed wins, fun, frolic, and reverence to the brilliant performers. Here’s recounting the night gone by, and reliving the highlights!
Stephen Fry and the Trump gags
Twelve years ago, a golden-voiced actor hosted the British Academy Film Awards for the first time; a practice which would be repeated eleven more times in the succeeding years. Sometimes bordering on the verge of controversy and ruffling feathers here and there, it is difficult to fathom a BAFTA where Stephen Fry doesn’t manage to make headlines. Cut to 2017, when the world is still nursing its wounds from the US Presidential Elections, and the host indirectly mocked the orange elephant in the room, received by bouts of laughter. “Let’s find out who the Russians have decided has won,” yes, let’s do it!
Dev Patel won Best Supporting Actor for Lion and Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for Fences
Rising to fame through his spine-chilling performance in Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel was nominated for the prestigious award along with the likes of Hugh Grant for Florence Foster Jenkins and Mahershala Ali for Moonlight. On winning the award, Patel commented, “I would be lying if I say that awards are not amazing. Awards can really change someone’s career. You get recognition.” Zoomed into the limelight because of her performance in How to Get Away with Murder, Viola Davis shot to instant fame and emerged victorious in various award categories, a tradition kept alive in this year’s BAFTA too.
La La Land’s Stream of Success
?After bagging seven Golden Globe Awards, receiving eleven nominations for BAFTA, and maintaining a successful trajectory on the winning streak, La La Land managed to claim the Best Picture award once again in the BAFTAs amongst other honours. The musical which is being collectively appreciated by the world for its direction, screenplay, and acting, continues to sway people off their feet and is anticipated to be a major winner in this Academy Awards.
Tom Holland wins BAFTA Rising Star Award
All set to play the titular character in Spider-man’s reboot with Spider-man: Homecoming, Tom Holland’s notable debut in The Impossible invited praise and appreciation towards the newly inducted movie star. Nominated along with Laia Costa, Lucas Hedges, Ruth Negga, and Anya Taylor-Joy, the actor was also honoured for his work in James Gray’s The Lost City of Z.
Prince William facilitates Mel Brooks with a Fellowship Award
Celebrating his contribution to the world of cinema, Prince William honoured the legendary actor Mel brooks with the Fellowship Award during the BAFTAs. Playing a plethora of roles in the industry as an actor, comedian, composer, filmmaker, and song-writer, Mel Brook’s achievements in the films remain unparalleled. The actor commented, “I am not overwhelmed, but I am definitely whelmed by this singular honour.”
The north campus of the University of Delhi was tense on February 22 with violence breaking out inside the Ramjas College campus, outside the college, and later in the evening in front of the Maurice Nagar police station. After the violent intervention by the ABVP of an academic conference in Ramjas College on February 21, a common students and teachers protest was set to take place the next day, on February 22, against the intervention. ABVP’s reason for obstructing the conference was the presence of Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid, JNU students, who were amongst the speakers at the conference. Umar Khalid was arrested on sedition charges in 2016, however no charge sheet has been filed in the case yet.
February 22, 2017:
The common students teachers march was scheduled to start at 1 p.m. but was blocked by he ABVP. Before the march, as an extra security measure, guards at Ramjas College checked ID cards to ensure that only students of the college were allowed to enter. What was supposed to be a peaceful march around the campus was cut off by the ABVP as they began shouting slogans like “Bharat Maata ki jai” and ” Vande Mataram” in the sutta lane within the Ramjas College campus. In response, the student and teacher protestors sat down and began their own chants of “Hum honge kaamyaab ek din” on a lawn adjacent to the ABVP gathering. Within a few minutes of this standoff, members of ABVP were seen entering into the lawn space where the students were gathered. There are eyewitness accounts and videos floating on social media of the ABVP activists beating, shoving, and grabbing the students gathered. The police intervened immediately and the students shifted towards the canteen premises.
The protest march being blocked by ABVP activists and supporters
A large gathering of students sat down in front of the canteen and under the conference hall. Reports came in of a large number of protesters consisting of students, teachers and activists gathered outside the college gates. Students and teachers who were inside the college sat down in silent protest. The police tried to form a barrier between the two groups. The ABVP activists repeatedly tried to break the barrier and attack the students. Fearing escalating violence, the police escorted the students out through the back gate where they were transported to the metro station in Civil Lines.
Meanwhile, outside the college, students and teachers who had congregated for the protest march, and journalists covering the issue, encountered ABVP activists. There are videos and evidence of students and faculty members being injured during this encounter. Around this time, roads leading to the Maurice Nagar police station were blocked by the police and shopkeepers around Patel Chest area were asked to bring down their shutters. The protest reached the Maurice Nagar police station area after 3 p.m., where police had been deployed to keep the violence from escalating and forming a barrier between the two sides. The protesters placed themselves outside the police station, demanding that an FIR be lodged against the violence committed by the ABVP. Slogans like “Aar ho ya paar ho, aaj FIR ho” were heard from the protesters’ sides.
Protestors in front of Maurice Nagar police station on February 22
At around 6.30 p.m., just after protesters were speaking to the police about their demands, a commotion broke out as the police surrounding the protesters started absconding them, in some cases with unnecessary force. The protesters were rounded up in police buses and taken to different corners of the city in an attempt to break up the protest on campus. They were dropped off later in the evening. There were reports and rumours of a potential ‘witch-hunt’ by ABVP members around the campus in search of people at the protests. No such incidents were confirmed.
February 23, 2017:
Another peaceful protest was organised today by the students and teachers at the Delhi Police Headquarters in ITO with heavy police presence around the area. Hundreds of students attended the protest, where sloganeering was heard and protest signs could be seen condemning the police brutality against student protesters yesterday. An exit gate at the ITO metro station was closed around noon. The protesters pushed for an FIR to be lodged and for a meeting with the police officials. After meeting with the students, who wanted separate FIRs to be lodged against the ABVP members who engaged in violence, the police informed them that separate FIRs cannot be lodged and they would need to be clubbed under one FIR. The student protesters then took the decision to have affected students write down testimonies of violence committed against them, with which they’ll approach other authorities given the contention between their demands and the police’s stance.
The police has admitted to the use of excessive force against students on February 22nd. The case related to the entire incident has been transferred to the Crime Branch. They also invited students to submit their complaints to the police which can then be clubbed together.
The student protesters are reportedly upset about the incident being branded an ABVP-AISA clash and the protesters being clubbed together as AISA members. They have called these protests movements by the students and teachers of Delhi University, and not a political party. The protesters comprised of students from across Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and other institutions across Delhi, with supporters of various movements and parties, and many with no political affiliations.
There were other protests in North Campus as well, with NSUI carrying out their peace march from the Arts Faculty to the Maurice Nagar police station, and the ABVP continuing their stance of protesting against ‘anti-national’ activities and elements. There were reports of considerable police presence around the campus.
“Words of wisdom and experience of ages are the two things that mankind passes on to its future generation.”
The Finance and Investment Cell, Hans Raj College had organised its flagship event ‘Empresa’ with this vision on February 21, 2017.
The event started off with the lighting of the lamp ceremony by Dr. Rama, Principal; Dr. Bharat Bhushan, Convenor of FIC and Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of The Planning Commission. It was followed by the session of Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia. The scholar gave the gathering, an insight into the recent economic developments and state of the Indian economy, addressing the queries of those who were eager to be enlightened by his knowledge.
Slated for number two was Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development of India who gave a talk on the will to achieve goals, citing examples from his own past. He also explained the recent steps taken by the government, calling demonetisation a ‘ bitter pill to cure long term illness’. His one liners like “Go, Learn, Yearn and Come Back” left us all in admiration of his intelligence.
This invigorating talk was followed by the speaker session of Mr. Rahul Tyagi, one of India’s leading white hat hacker and Vice President of Lucideus Tech. The interactive cyber-celebrity shared his immensely valuable knowledge with the crowd as to how people should secure their devices from attacks in cyberspace. He also presented a hacking gimmick by hacking one of the student’s mobile phone in less than two minutes.
The icing on the cake was the fourth and final speaker for the day “Mr. Durjoy Datta.” This multi-talented personality narrated the series of events that led him to becoming a best selling author, screenwriter and entrepreneur, of how his passion for reading and writing made him give up a lucrative job at American Express and follow his dreams. Having finished his talk, Mr. Datta signed copies of his novels for the die hard fans that had flocked to the auditorium of Hans Raj College to listen to him and given got photos clicked with each one of them.
To conclude, the variety of speakers and the myriad topics on which they spoke catered to the hearts and minds of the many present. If there be a measuring rod for accomplishment, the success of Empresa’17 can be judged from the appreciation that the society garnered for organising a one -of -a- kind discussion like this.
NSIT, known for its perfect amalgamation of cultural vibrancy and academical gimes, proved it’s USP once again with its entrepreneurial extravaganza held lately on February 11th and 12th,2017.
As the ballyhoo of entrepreneurship amongst the masses is eCell NSIT’s, entrepreneurship society of NSIT, raison dê etre, the dais hosted it’s second edition of the Entrepreneurship Summit a.k.a. the esummit 2017. With a mammoth footfall, the event turned out to be a big success, yet again, fulfilling it’s aim to provide budding entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their theoretical business knowledge and get an exposure to the practical world of competition.
With its 8 flagship events and an exciting streak of informal events, the summit witnessed a participation of around 327 teams, from which 80 were selected for on campus round, from all the colleges across Delhi-NCR, competing to be the best.
The Summit kicked off with the enriching speaker’s session with speakers belonging to different arenas of entrepreneurship, whether it be the founder of Chaayos, Mr. Nitin Gupta, whose love for “chai” led him to start with his venture or be it the co-founder of Coding Ninjas, Mr. Ankush Singla who is the pioneer in the world of tech entrepreneurship and not to forget Mr. Ajitabha Bose, the national record holder for the shortest love story- The Bestseller. Each speaker gave an exquisite insight to the world of entrepreneurship in their own way rushing the entrepreneurial adrenaline in the veins of untrodden in the field. Followed by this, there was a panel discussion with personalities like, On the dais who gave their viewpoints on the topic “Can Entrepreneurship be taught?” and was very well moderated by Mr. Bhavya Bansal, General Secretary, eCell NSIT. The event was succeeded by the aforementioned flagship competitions namely, Instaseed: the 10 minute funding, wherein the participating startups were given 10 minutes to pitch their ideas and bag the seed funding of upto 2 crores along with incubation from the whole panel of investors across the country, startup wars, in which each and every participant team was given a problem statement and they had to find a viable startup idea in lieu to the former, Unravel: the case study competition, Bellwether: The best manager, Marketing Maestro, mockstock and Global Strategy, which was a true amalgamation of strategizing and MUN experience.
Along with this, 1.5 month long Delhi entrepreneurship Challenge came to an end with an engaging group discussion and presentation rounds. Moreover, the informal events added an unmatched grace to the event and the plus point of each of the informal events was the fact that each one had a tinge of assessment of entrepreneurial skills, whether it is “Be Like Bappi” or “Bazinga” or be it “Beg Borrow Steal”, each one had an unmatched level of intellect into application. No praise could be less than the fact that even the speakers were eager to attend each and every event to be a part of never experienced before extravaganza which makes it clearly evident of the magnificence of the event The organisation- Entrepreneurship Cell, NSIT, believes that the best way to promote entrepreneurship is to establish and run a club/society/team which connects and acts as a network to the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Making it successful requires immense passion, determination, innovation and knowledge, which happen to be the same stones one must skip to be successful in the start-up world. And it is quite impressive the way they just followed their vision and were successfully able to give a plug to the entrepreneurial skills amongst the masses.
The event gave a whole new level to the world of competition, which is not just about winning, but about learning and grooming as a whole. Hence, with all the zeal and zest, the event was ended on a good note which gave all the budding entrepreneurs an enriching experience and a whole new exposure to the practical world of competition.
The High Commission of Canada in India, in association with the Women’s Development Cell of Miranda House, National Commission for Women and Women’s Feature Service, organised a dialogue on Women leadership and empowerment, from 8-10 February at the India Habitat Centre.
Over the 3 days, the South Asian Young Women Leadership Conclave saw participation of people from different walks of life- with only one aim in mind, to discuss women’s issues and development.
Unlike the event in 2016 when women members of the Parliament participated in the regional dialogue, this year, the High Commission of Canada invited 7 delegates from South Asian countries, all young women leaders, to represent women’s issues from their cultures, religions and countries.
The session was opened by Jess Dutton, The Deputy High Commissioner as he welcomed the young women from India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
The day spanned out with four sessions on women in Leadership, women in politics, women as agents of change in the society and ended with a panel discussion on the regional perspective of the 7 delegates.
Numerous eminent speakers from different spheres of society spoke on the issue during the session, including Shehla Rashid; Youth Activist from JNU, Karuna Nundy; Senior Advocate- Supreme Court, Kamla Bhasin; Activist and founder of South Asian Feminist Network, Sangat and many more.
The only man in the panel, Jay Panda, National Spokesperson of Biju Janata Dal, debarred the common notion of feminism only being a female’s movement. “You don’t need to be a female to be a feminist.” he said. “Feminism never taught us to hate men, but to hate patriarchy.” Shehla Rashid added later on.
Throughout the three days, issues like the concept of Sarpanchpati, elitism in the feminist movement, laws governing women’s rights were taken up.
With different points of view coming in, all intertwined in one conclusion of gender sensitisation being important at every level of the society. “Be an undercover gender activist at all levels” Shazia Ilmi, Vice President of BJP Delhi Unit advised.
Recently, Mohanlal Gupta, a BJP MLA from Jaipur’s Kishanpole constituency, proposed that the historical Battle of Haldighati(1576)be “amended” in Rajasthan University’s history textbooks. Contrary to the popular notion held by historians that the war was won by Akbar, Gupta proposes that it was Maharana Pratap who won it instead, and that the textbooks should reflect the “facts”. Sadly, this is not a Bazinga. This could very well become reality for the students.
Politics has long been intertwined with history. Power decides which party should pick up the pen and dabble it in ink, in order to record the destiny of an era bygone. History has always belonged to the kings and queens, written and read from their perspective. This incident is no different. On one hand, it reflects the paranoid reaction of the establishment — an effort to sanitise and clear the textbooks of any ‘uncomfortable’ details or events from the past. There is a systematic effort to shun the students from asking too many questions or thinking too much. It is as scandalous a move as the decision to remove cartoons from CBSE’s class 10th NCERT books of Political Science, a few years ago, just because they proved to be offensive to a particular politician. Come to think of it, even CBCS’ system, with its truncated syllabus and semesters, does not allow the student enough time to grasp a thorough understanding of his or her course.
On the other hand, it also showcases how easily loyalties get transferred.If Tipu Sultan was till now, to historians at least, a just ruler who occasionally plundered and attacked a population only to expand his territory, the current regime portrays him as a straightforward political villain.The question historians pose is: “Didn’t the thirst for territorial expansion affect every ruler of the era, making Tipu no exception the case?” TipuJayanti celebrations in Karnataka have been politicised and mobilised around this issue, even creating a violent ruckus last year, with the BJP and RSS vehemently opposing the celebrations in the state.
When it comes to history, whom should we rely on? Whose perspective should we accept at face value and whose should we outwardly rejected? These are not apolitical questions in themselves. That said, however, the decision to make a choice should be left with the citizens. As the optimistic youth of the nation, students must not be cheated out of their freedom to make a choice based on reasoning. There should, in a democratic setup, be scope enough to face the negatives in history alongside the positives. The last decision must be arrived at by the youth itself.
As a community of believers of free speech, the burgeoning slam poetry scene in India is surprisingly averse to constructive criticism, giving way to its own stagnation.
There is something inherently ironic when a community, usually invested in voicing the most uncomfortably true opinions about the society, itself shies away from criticism. It signifies an unwillingness to grow. Currently, this is what threatens to make the desi version of slam seem gimmicky. Non-acceptance, the elephant in the room which nobody is willing to confront, may as well turn the tables for a presently blossoming slam poetry scene across Delhi’s cafes and colleges. Let’s face it, India still has miles to go to produce performance poetry matching the levels of, say, the “Button Poetry” series. There is too much focus on performance, and often the content suffers.
“I usually attend slams because it’s good money. I just have to write to engage the crowd and evoke a few responses, but I’m not really happy with what I write,” claims a second year student, a regular at competitive poetry slam events across the DU circuit. There are, believe it or not, students who think desi slam is just a passing trend. Some find the “training grounds” for young slam poets (workshops, slam retreats etc.) too pricey. They provide close to no useful training for that amount of money.
This is the rotten core underneath the shiny veneer of a sense of empowerment, which many budding poets experience by reciting at these events. This is a facet which many relate to, but are scared to confess. When the herd follows one route, can an individual sheep turn the other way? But it must, if India is to witness world-class slam poetry events, producing top-notch poets.
On one hand, the genre of slam poetry is in itself, without a doubt, an excellent means of communicating hard-hitting messages. A live audience can listen and respond to politics, sexuality, anxiety, love, heartbreak and much more, almost immediately. It provides the poet instant gratification, if he or she was successful at moving the audience. And if not, the audience can very well discard them. The results are immediate.
However, on the other hand, the current and popular version of slam in colleges edges dangerously close to melodrama. It should not(contrary to misconceptions) just be about evoking uncontrollable tears as if it were a cheesy saas-bahu soap, or evoking peals of laughter as if it were stand-up comedy.Granted that slam requires a certain kind of writing — poetry meant to be read aloud, not read in solitude. Even so, there should be a standard, key concept and structure to it. Poetry cannot be a mindless formula of rousing extreme emotions.
In a country where education is one of the most profitable businesses, young poets have to ensure that the slam scene doesn’t head down that dirty road. It is time to swallow the bitter pill of constructive criticism. Nobody is a “born” poet and actor. We all have to begin by learning the tricks of the trade.
