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Nidhi Panchal

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Priyadarshani 2016, The Annual Cultural Festival of Dyal Singh College (Morning), University of Delhi was held on 4th, 5th and 6th February, 2016. Ranjana Gauhar- Padmashree Awardee, Odissi, Kathak and Manipuri dancer and Associate in National Academy of Natak, Author of book, Odissi — The Dance Divine was the Chief Guest and Uma Shankar – Student Union Leader and Social Activist was the Guest of Honour for Priyadarshani 2016. Roots – The Music Society of Dyal Singh College (M) inaugurated the event on a musical note followed by Kathakali, Odissi and western duet dance performances that awed the audiences.

After the inauguration, the Day 1 events of Priyadarshani 2016 started off with Natsamrat 2016 – Street Play competition by Astitva – The Department of Theatre. The team of Institute of Home Economics (IHE) won this competition with their play ‘The Middle Class Family – Na Iddhar ke Na Uddhar ke’, portraying the daily struggles and life of typical middle class families. On the other hand, Sursadhana 2016 by ROOTS saw some great musical performances in their Western Solo, Indian classical solo, Light solo, Indian Duet and Tarana – Indian Classical Group song competitions. Alankar – The Indian classical group of Hindu College bagged the first position in Tarana with their breath-taking performance.

Priyadarshani 2016
Sursadhana 2016

Patkatha – The script-writing competition by Xposure – The Photography Society saw participants weaving stories around a single picture and on the other side, they had a photography exhibition with pictures telling a thousand stories. The Day 1 ended with Footloose – The dance competition by Zest – The Dance Society which had western solo, duet and street dance competitions. Sri Venkateshwar College dance group and Zorks battled to bag the first prize in the Street Dance competition, Zorks won this competition.

Priyadarshani 2016
Artism 2016

Day 2 of Priyadarshani 2016 was filled with vibrant colours as Jamini – The Fine Arts Society organised ‘Artism’ under which poster making, painting, mehandi designing and sketching competitions were held. Where Jamini added an artistic flair to the festival, Spilled Ink – The Creative Writing Society brought poetic angle by Lafz-e-mehfill – Hindi/Urdu poetry competition. While one side of the college was echoing with beautiful poetry, the other side was dancing on the beats of Western Group Dance Competition where Jesus and Mary College won the first prize. Also, a workshop by Nikon mentor, Aman Wilson was organised by Xposure which included the tips and tricks to polish one’s photography skills. It was not only DSLR centric, but included tips for mobile phone camera users as well. The success of the workshop could be seen by the crowd it had attracted, which included the students from different colleges. This day ended with Deshbandhu College bagging the first prize in the Dyal Singh Majithia Memorial Debate organised by Cognito – The debating society.

Priyadarshani 2016
Bandish – Battle of Bands

Day 3 of Priyadarshini kick-started with Bandish – Battle of Bands where Stable Flux from College of Vocational Studies won the first prize. This event was followed by Tres Chic – Fashion Show by Glamoratti – The Fashion Society. Institute of Home Economics bagged the first position with their theme of mirror, with Lady Irwin College as the runner-up. Simultaneously, the Film-making competition by Xposure; Rangoli making, Best out of waste and cartooning competitions by Jamini; General Quiz by Cognito were held. Delhi Technological University (DTU) won the General Quiz competition.

Priyadarshani 2016
Tres Chic – The Fashion Show

The most awaited event of Priyadarshani 2016 was the performance by Astitiva – The Band. This performance was cancelled when the band claimed to have not been provided with suitable sound system. This left the students heart-broken. This cancelled gig was followed by an online sparring between the students and band. According to the Priyadarshani 2016 Organising Committee, due to the miscommunication between the band and the event management company the college and the students suffered.

[quote]“We were in touch with the event management company as well as the manager of Astitva a night before the performance and the event management company told us what all we’d need for the performance, the basics and we DID arrange all that exactly according to what the company said. If there has been a miscommunication between the band and the company, it is not our fault. We are merely victims of their shenanigans.” – Team Priyadarshani 2016[/quote]

(For full official statement of Team Priyadarshani 2016 visit – https://www.facebook.com/dscpriyadarshani/?fref=ts )

Image Credits: Xposure – The Photography Society of Dyal Singh College (M).

For those of you who love children’s literature, The Department of English, Dyal Singh College (Morning), University of Delhi, organised MADRIGAL 2016 – The English Literary Festival on the 15th and 16th of January, 2016. This second edition of Madrigal explored the theme of ‘Children’s Literature’ and traced its origin and evolution. For hundreds of years, many of the books written for children have dealt with complex and seemingly dark themes, yet the popular myth persists that such themes cannot be found in children’s literature. Madrigal 2016 looked beyond this glittery surface of happily-ever-afters to unravel the dark and not-so-happy side of children’s literature.

This two-day literary festival started off with guest-speaker Samina Mishra, a documentary filmmaker and writer, with a special interest in media for children. Her talk revolved around the festival’s theme and did away with the myth that this type of literature is all about roses and rainbows. She further talked about Indian writings and writers which are exponentially growing in this genre. She reached out to all the children and adults to read children’s books, as with age, a person’s perspective changes and so does the meaning of the story.

Samina Mishra

After her talk, the first day of Madrigal 2016 was lined up with many competitive and non-competitive events. One was ‘Poetries of Perception – Slam Poetry competition and Open Mike Recitation’. This event saw poets giving voice to their childhood fantasies to the darker side of childhood. Simultaneously, ‘FanFiction Fantasia – A Fan-fiction writing competition’ gave an exclusive chance to weave a story with one’s favourite characters or re-imagine one’s favourite books and fairytales according to their own wish. Whereas, ‘Spellopaedia – A Spelling-bee Competition’ tested participants spelling skills, the ‘Knit-a-tale – Spin-a-yarn Competition’ saw participants turn into expert story-tellers where their stories ranged from a serial killer abused as a child to long-nosed aliens! The first day of Madrigal 2016 wrapped up with the ‘Turn-Court Competition’ and ‘Enigma – Treasure Hunt Competition’ whose clues were based on all the popular books like Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Grimm’s Fairytales, etc.

Cosplay 1

The Second day of Madrigal 2016 started with a guest speech and book signing by Christopher C. Doyle – The author of the bestselling books, ‘The Mahabharata Secret’ and ‘The Mahabharata Quest: Alexander’s Secret’. His talk was a concoction of mythology, fantasy and science fiction. From giving useful pointers to aspiring authors to discussing his journey of a writer, he encouraged and inspired the readers and budding authors. Following this session were two plays – ‘Induction Lockout’ and ‘Charmstone’ and a musical – ‘A wild rumpus of fairytales’ which brought back popular characters from Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Frozen and other fairytales. The Quiz Competition and Ad-Mad brought the creativity and tested the participants’ marketing skills. The day ended with the ‘Cosplay Competition’ where Sherlock and Cat-woman stole the show!

Christopher C. Doyle

A potent concoction of cultural, academic and literary events, this literary festival put to test the intellectual, oratory, artistic and creative skills of the participants.

Image Credits: Seema Marndi

Can’t go back home this vacations due to fest practices or something else? Spending New Year alone? Couldn’t convince your parents to go out with your friends? Don’t have any friends to party with? Or, are you the one who despise partying? Well, here we are on the brink of entering 2016. For many of us, it’s just like yesterday when we were welcoming 2015 or cursing Delhi University peeps for announcing the result on the last day of year! Well, let’s hope we don’t have a repeat of that result announcement this year. But, if we do and some us do get grounded, then here’s a to-do list for all the lonely souls who couldn’t or didn’t want to party this New Year’s Eve!

1. Movie Marathon or Binge watch TV Show

Well, this is the easiest thing you can do. No hassle of getting all glittered-up for some New Year’s party with heels which hurt-like-hell or waking up with a horrible hangover headache on the first day of the year, guys! Ditch this party scene and get into your warm, comfy clothes watching movies and TV shows you love!

Movies Suggestions

You can watch your favourite movies again or try the ones you haven’t watched as yet!

Bollywood: You can watch – Hum-Tum, Kal Ho Na Ho, Swadesh, Jab We Met, Dil Chahta Hai and others which released in the past decade if you have already watched the recent movies like – Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dilwale, Masaan, Bajirao Mastani, etc.

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Image Credits: http://www.amongmen.com/

Hollywood: Watch the movies series like – Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Divergent, Marvel Avengers, Wolverine, Batman, Superman, Twilight, Hangover, Grown-ups, or you can watch the Disney movies!

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Image credits: http://media2.onsugar.com/

Watching animated movies on New Year’s Eve will also be a great idea to bring a smile on your face. Movies like – Tangled, The Lion King, Inside-Out, Frozen, Hotel Transylvania, Finding Nemo, How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Minions, Up and more will worm their way into your heart and fill it with happiness and joy this New Year’s Eve!

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Image credits: https://thelifeofoneteenager.files.wordpress.com/

TV Shows suggestion: You can either re-watch your favourite TV show or choose a new one. The shows you can binge watch are – Grey’s Anatomy, Friends, Supernatural, Game of Thrones, The Originals or Vampire Diaries, Lost, Breaking Bad, Castle, Arrow, Flash, Beauty and the Beast, Gossip Girl, Homeland, Sherlock, Elementary, Revenge, Big Bang Theory, Glee, Suits, and this list is can go on and on.

2. Wear your creative hat

Are you an artist, a writer or photographer? Even if you are not, worry not! All you have to do is let your creative side take over. Throw caution out of window and just start writing about your year. Swap through your picture gallery, facebook timeline or take out those old pictures and write a little caption or the story behind those pictures beside them or in a diary. That way you’ll not only relive those precious moments which were captured long back but, would also create something beautiful which you’ll always cherish and would want to revisit again and again. The artists or painters can take out their brushes and pencils to create something unique to mark the ending of the year.

The trick is to let your creative juices flow freely. It shouldn’t matter if you are not good at what you are doing. All you need to do is to feel happy and if, colouring or writing crappy poems make you happy then, do it!

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Image Credits http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/

3. Food

Nothing makes your day better than good food. Treat yourself this New Year’s Eve with those delicious cupcakes that you covet and can kill for. Honestly, for one day you can crush that stupid diet plan and let your heart want what it wants. Believe me, you won’t die if you would eat all your favourite stuff. Make this your day and pamper yourself!

 

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Image Credits: http://images6.fanpop.com/

4. TV

A lot of TV channels would have some New Year Special programmes and would not be playing their usual sappy daily soaps. Tune in and watch them or you can also watch Movie premieres. The movie channels would be having a lot of ‘First Time on Television’ movie premieres. This New Year’s Eve, watch the movie you have not seen before! Also, if you are a music lover then end this fantastic year with top 50 songs of 2015. VH1 India will play TOP 50 songs on December 31st from 7 pm onwards.

5. Visit reader’s paradise

This New Year’s Eve try something new. Try fan-fiction! Remember when you liked that particular book series so much that you didn’t want it to end. Read fan-fiction of that book if you can find it. Harry Potter and Twilight fans can find ample of fan-fiction on the internet to fill up their reading list for the whole 2016!

Also, even if you don’t find fan-fiction written on your favourite book (which is pretty impossible) then, read the book that you’ve or have been trying to read for a long time. A winter evening, hot cup of coffee/tea, a comfortable chair and a good book is all you need this New Year’s Eve to make it happening!

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Image credits: https://ladygeekgirl.files.wordpress.com

6. Do Absolutely Nothing

Yeah, you heard it right! During the whole year some of us are so buzzed-up that ‘doing nothing’ and ‘not working’ is actually a novelty which we can’t afford throughout the year. So, this New Year’s Eve sleep your heart out or just lie on the bed as the time pass away and the New Year begins!

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Image Credits: https://img0.etsystatic.com

New Year’s Eve is a special occasion, make it a memorable one. Get high on life and happiness rather than alcohol. Make it a special night for yourself as you pamper your soul and get drunk on joy. Forget all the deadlines for this one night and sleep like you’ve no worry in the world! Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Feature Image Credits: http://newyeargreetings2016.com/

Nidhi Panchal

[email protected]

Music videos are a vital part of songs and help the listeners to visualize the song from the perspective of the artists themselves. There are times when the music video becomes the sole reason for the success of a song and no one knows this better than Drake and Bieber. Music videos in 2015 awed and won the viewers through strong vocals, dancing, creative storylines and great production value. Here is a ranked list of top five music videos of 2015:

1. Drake: “Hotline Bling”

Director: Director X

Well, this is the video which triggered thousands of hilarious memes, buzzfeed lists and parodies. A dream come true for the GIF makers; it was as if Drake knew that his dorky dance moves would instantly be GIF’d by the internet. Drake’s drunk-dad dancing moves on a retro-futuristic set with a handful of dancing girls were so ridiculous and silly that they actually managed to grab the attention of the masses, making this song this year’s biggest novelty hit and putting this video on the top of our list!

 2. Taylor Swift, featuring Kendrick Lamar: “Bad Blood”

Director: Joseph Kahn

A year without Taylor’s video is not possible and this year was no exception. From, ‘Wildest Dreams’ to ‘Bad Blood’, Taylor hooked us with her videos yet again. ‘Bad Blood’, insanely hyped and one of the most awaited Taylor’s videos, released in May. In this star-studded, futuristic clip Taylor is surrounded by her celebrity besties, including Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham, Hailee Steinfeld, Ellie Goulding, Zendaya, Hayley Williams, Lily Aldridge and Karlie Kloss. This video has a lot of elements from Mission Impossible, Hunger Games, Divergent, Tron, Avengers and many more with Kendrick Lamar’s remix. This video with its star girl power and action sequences grabbed the second spot on our list and also, made us rethink our #squadgoals!

3. Sia: “Elastic Heart”

Director: Sia

Choreographer: Ryan Heffington

After Sia’s ‘Chandelier’, Maddie Ziegler comes back with her same large, crazy eyes and maniacal intensity in Sia’s ‘Elastic Heart’. But, this time she’s not alone as she and Shia LeBeouf engage in a performance-art ballet inside a huge bird cage. With Sia’s vocals, Maddie’s Dancing, LeBeouf’s intense performance and a stunningly powerful expression of loss at its conclusion, ‘Elastic Heart’ won our hearts and gained the third spot on our list.

 4. Major Lazer and DJ Snake featuring MØ: “Lean On” 

Director: Tim Erem

You would really have to be dead to know not have heard or seen this song’s video. ‘Lean On’ is a highly commercially successful song of 2015 and reached on top of many charts globally. This song was extensively shot in India. And, it also happens to be that one song which was not only played on the English music channels in India but, it was played on Hindi music channels too. This song with it infectious beats and crazy dance moves clinches the 4th spot of our list!

5. Carly Rae Jepsen: “I Really Like You”

Director: Peter Glanz

Seriously, who wouldn’t want to see Tom Hanks lip-syncing a frothy bubblegum pop song? Well, this song by Jepson has Tom Hanks walking the streets, lip-syncing on her girlish voice with the chorus hook “I really really really really really really like you” makes it downright adorable and comic. This carefree-happy song ends with Jepson and Hanks dancing down the street with a big group of dancers and an unexpected cameo from Justin Bieber (yeah, that guy in the end was not his lookalike!).

These were our favourite music videos of 2015. Let us know your favourite ones in comment section!

Nidhi Panchal

[email protected]

Image Credits: www,ioneglobalgrind.files.wordpress.com

What can you do to stick to your passion? How far can you go to chase your dreams? How determined can you become to follow your interests? With a remarkable resolve to take their aspirations to the next level, Vayam – The Performing Arts Society was formed by a consonant group of alumni of Shivaji College, University of Delhi. Vayam is an independent performing arts group based in Delhi registered under the Societies Regulations Act 1860. Run by an ideal blend of actors, directors, script writers, technicians and working professionals, the group has a stronghold in the Delhi theatre circuit with an expanding base in Mumbai. Vayam performs on regular basis at competitive and non-competitive platforms across India and their street plays and stage productions are based on myriad of thought-provoking issues.

With ‘EK Rishte Ki Maut’– A play by Vayam to be performed at Akshara Theatre on 24th of December, we bring to you an interview with Prateek Bedi (Treasurer and an active member of Vayam – The Performing Arts Society) who told us all about Vayam’s inception, journey and its future goals.

“‘Vayam’ means ‘We’ in Sanskrit. It signifies the core values of the organisation – Togetherness, Integrity, Creativity and Social Empowerment. We wanted to have a different name but at the same time we wanted it to reflect our core values and define our united front. And Vayam is just perfect as our name and identity.” – Prateek Bedi, member, Vayam

 

1. How does Vayam – the theatre society of Shivaji College differ from Vayam – The Performing Arts Society?

Vayam – The Theatre Society of Shivaji College and Vayam – The Performing Arts Society, are essentially two sides of the same coin. The most significant thread that binds the two organisations is the set of values and virtues they share. Since the professional unit has been founded by people who were once a part of the college society, there is a visible homogeneity and concurrence in the style of working and principles that both organisations share. However, there is a clear demarcation of authority and responsibility with regard to spheres of work that both groups handle. The college wing has an independent leadership who vigorously looks after the advancement of the unit in the campus theatre circuit. On the other hand, the professional society has a distinct legal identity and a competent organisational structure which works tirelessly to make the organisation grow and prosper in the professional ambit. Both organisations share a mutual relationship of togetherness and synergy in their area of work and conduct. They are of immense support to each other and leverage each other’s strengths to advance their goals and objectives.

2. How did Vayam make this transition from a college society to a performing arts group? When did you decide that it was time to take it beyond the college circuit and what challenges did you face to during this transition?

Vayam – The Theatre Society of Shivaji College, University of Delhi was started by a bunch of like minded creative enthusiasts in 2006. Vayam’s maiden performance of the street play called ‘Kashtomer’, which talked of consumer awareness, fetched them the third prize at Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi in August 2006. It was in 2007 when the society grabbed the attention and admiration of the DU crowd with the stage adaptation of ‘Bade Bhai Sahab’ by Munshi Premchand when it swept almost every competitive platform and established a unique identity for the society. Further, the society blossomed under the aegis, support and guidance of its alumni. But though the society was doing well in the DU circuit, there were times when this ‘college’ tag, held back Vayam from stepping into the professional Delhi theatre scene and partner with other organisations in an official/legal capacity. Therefore, we decided to form Vayam – The Performing Arts Society where we could finally collaborate professionally and step into the Delhi theatre scene at a much larger scale.

Taking our college society to another level by getting a legal identity wasn’t easy for us. All the alumni who had been a part of college society were mostly pursuing different careers in finance, banking, IT, research, social work, photography etc. To get everyone together and work comprehensively towards the establishment and growth of Vayam was challenging. Moreover, initially we went through tough times during registration as most of our members were spread out across the country. Since we have been recently registered, we are trying to work our way through initial challenges of holding commercial performances, entering into professional partnerships etc. But we are working relentlessly to make a mark and a young & dynamic force of determined thespians is facing obstacles with courage and commitment.

3. It is hard to make theatre work while attending college as a student, how do you manage to do it as working professionals?

In Vayam, we have a strong and dedicated team of 30 people from diverse fields of photography, finance, banking, IT, research, etc. This diversity is one of our biggest advantages. We work quite systematically. We have a conference call every Sunday evening to discuss all the affairs. There is also a core team of 11 members – Lakshya, which works incessantly for smooth working of Vayam’s affairs. As of now, all our team members are alumni of the college society and are available to participate and work for the organisation selflessly. Since Delhi is our core base of development as of now, we have a distinct wing of individuals who work for projects in the city and are active throughout the year.

Vayam ek rishte ki maut

4. Tell us something about your latest production ‘Ek Rishte Ki Maut.‘ What differentiates it from the regular relationship and happily ever after plays?

The basic theme of the play is –  the changing dynamics of relationships in this fast paced world; where genuine love, attraction, happiness and care is somewhere getting lost between the deadlines and ego clashes. The couple in ‘Ek Rishte Ki Maut’ are lost in the cloud of smoke of their egos and misunderstandings, which slowly chokes their true emotions and love for each. Their petty fights reach to a point where they decide to divorce each other and break those vows to love unconditionally and irrevocably. It’s an ego versus love, and fairytale versus practicality, fight.

It’s a unique play which will grip you till the very end by its distinctive narrative technique, acting and dialogues. The play works as a time machine; it takes you to the good old sweet and sour memories of your relationship. It teaches you to love and you begin to value your partner all the more after watching the play. The play has the ability to make you smile and emotional at the same time. It’s a play which will completely engross the audience right from the beginning itself and would force them to deeply reflect and ask some serious questions about their demeanor and approach towards relationship.

Find out more about the play here

 

5. What’s next for Vayam?

We, at Vayam – The Performing Arts Society want to be the best performing arts group in the world by all means and aspects. We want to become a versatile and inclusive group of artists spread across plethora of art forms. Additionally, we want to improve the condition of art forms and artists, in and outside country by making performing arts more acceptable, popular and commercially profitable for the ones pursuing a career in this field. Moreover, we want to increase the range and number of our productions and expand ourselves in all potential fields of performing arts.

Buy tickets for ‘Ek Rishte Ki Maut’ here.

You can find them here:

Facebook Page

YouTube Channel

Twitter Account: @WeAreVayam

Instagram Account: vayam_performingarts