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Nikhil Kumar

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“Maybe there is a way to climb above everything, some special ladder or insight, some optical vantage point that allows a clear, unobstructed view of things. Maybe this way of seeing comes naturally to some people. Maybe if I’d been someone else I’d see it differently. But isn’t that the crux of the problem? Wouldn’t we all act differently if we were someone else?”

The crisis of coming-of-age identity and the adult world’s inherent debacle over thinking and doing forms the central motif in History of Wolves, the debut novel by Emily Fridlund and one of the six  Booker Prize shortlisted novels of 2017. Quite certainly a more literally and thematically complex read compared to its competitors for the coveted prize, the initial storytelling and the ability of the author to paint detailed pictures even in an economy of words stand out while her inability to bring any substantial coherence to the plot devices disappoints.

The novel is narrated from the perspective of now adult, but primarily a socially outcast girl in Madeline Furston, (also known as ‘Linda’ or ‘Freak’ or ‘Commie’ by her classmates). Her quest of self-centers around her new neighbours in an otherwise secluded and disturbed upbringing in a lakeside commune in Northern Minnesota which later develops in her teenage experiences with her newly appointed history teacher Mr. Grierson and her classmate Lily. Throughout the text the storyline traces its path notoriously meandering across the time and space, expanding from her childhood days to her life as a grown-up adult leaving the reader with multiple interpretations of how the things turn out to be.

Every page of the book seems overpowered with a chill running down the spine, and a feeling that something bad is going to happen. So powerful is the narration that an icy, soul-wrenching gust of air seems to blow throughout, and so grim is the dark and wintery portrayal of the geographical diameters of Linda and her school that the tale looks almost haunted. The treatment of the characters is powerful. Even for their grey underlined side which is always distinct, the reader is forced to sympathise with their paralysing loneliness, but the author invariably creates an emotional remoteness which prevents any other emotion in a reader than cold sympathy. That told of the remote plotline and the author’s inability to bring to a sensible closure the various parallel story strands strikeout, the reader left invariably dissatisfied, and sad.

History of Wolves does not fail to retain the tension of the plot, making the reader frantically turn the pages and identify the scandalous restlessness building up in their hearts, but the disappointing coda makes the novel fall yards short of greatness. Nevertheless, the promising abilities which Mrs. Fridlund exhibits in coming up with an atypical coming of age thriller and retaining an almost unfailing control over her diverse characters and expansive and parallel storylines are sure to establish her as one of the most promising authors of our time.

Image Credit– powells.com

 

Nikhil Kumar

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Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Study Circle (BSASC)- Delhi Chapter recently announced the launch of a monthly magazine. The magazine is mooted as an endeavour by the organisation to create a wider platform for debates and discussions relating to various social and political issues concerning the student community. In this regard, Kawalpreet Kaur, head of AISA’s Delhi University unit and a member of the study circle, made the announcements about the magazine through her social media posts on Friday. She focused in detail on the scope of the magazine and the nature of the literary pieces it aims to publish. “The aim of the magazine will be to understand issues related to students in Delhi; topics can range from accommodation, politics, language, gender, caste, race, capitalism, marginalisation, oppression, patriarchy, love, sexuality, university and other such concerns to poetry and prose”, read her facebook feed.

Fayaz Alee, a member of the BSASC’s magazine committee, in a conversation with our correspondent, mentioned the practicality of a monthly publication and how they plan to progress with the concept. “The idea of the magazine is to engage students to write on social and political issues and the magazine will provide such a platform. Despite social media’s presence, a major chunk of students are devoid of such format, and there is a consciousness that they are thinking and understanding the inequalities and all such political affairs that surround them, so a magazine will be a much better medium to approach to such section. That is why we are planning to circulate it amongst DU and other university students and encourage them to share their writings. We will also be posting the articles on a blog which will share the magazine’s news and its content(sic)”, he said.

All the students of the university can contribute to the magazine. Articles both in Hindi and English can be submitted at [email protected] by 5th of October, to be featured in the first published edition. The process of subscription and other details will be released in due time.

Image Credits- BSASC facebook page
Nikhil Kumar
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This latest book by Mohsin Hamid, the author of Moth Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist joins dreams, principles, identities and realities to create one of the best reads of this year. A story can tell you a tragic reality in two ways: It can be vivid and devastating to the extent of being a compendium of life and death, with a grim picturisation of the innocent lives and their utter helplessness.The reader so becomes entangled with the protagonist’s destiny that with every page he flips, he desperately implores every god he believes in to finally bestow the slightest hint of happiness in the character’s lives. The other kind of storytelling is one where the author, does not paint the expressions to be gloomy, but he rather celebrates hope, sacrifice and humanity in the face of pervasive misery. Full of wonderful moments of courage and relentless allusions to the happy bygone times, the tale keeps the readers smiling through the tears throughout the text. With ‘Exit West’, Mohsin Hamid employs the second option, having already established his expertise in the first in his debut novel ‘Moth Smoke’ and later in his Man Booker shortlisted novel ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist”. Exit west is the story of a young man named Saeed, who met a young woman in a classroom, named Nadia, and did not speak to her. Gradually their love flourishes in the backdrop of a war torn city. Like many other intricacies across the novel which have been subtly referred to but never explicitly expressed, the city’s name is left unmentioned. Joining the dots, one eventually realizes that it is actually Aleppo. The storyline shifts as the war intensifies around the two lovers and they are forced to flee to safer places. At this point, Hamid employs magical realism as there are rumors of a door which teleports people across places. Saeed and Nadia migrate to Mykonos in Greece, then to London and finally to Marin, San Francisco as their lives and relationship stands the test of time. The storyline is simple yet transient. At times the narration flows like the Indian summer breeze and later it gains enthralling pace. The subtle realities of existence are the primary catalysts as Saeed and Nadia constantly are reminded of their past existence and identities. They hope against hopelessness for a future which would be a continuum of their abandoned past but everyone, including the reader, knows otherwise. Exit West is one of the few books which juggles between the personal and public themes with an ease in writing and a clarity of thought. The story ends with the reader’s mind and heart at a mutual debacle over the trajectory of Saeed and Nadia’ love story, but both clearly identifying that migration is the new reality of humankind and no one is completely immune to this reality.   Feature Image Credits: Parnassus Musing Nikhil Kumar [email protected]]]>

The Swiss master marks a perfect ending to the 2017 Grass court season with a resounding victory over Croatian Marin Cilic in a 101-minute display of his extraordinary class and supreme elegance, in a tournament which shall widely be regarded as the finest of his career.

“He is playing better than ever,” observes Boris Becker in an interview, minutes after the match. There is no talk of vintage Federer this time. No reminiscences of the his ‘strongest in the sport’ forehands, sharp backhands and almost supernatural footwork and agility of the 2005s, no anecdotes of the time when he was at the top of the rankings for a record period of 302 weeks, or when he won at the All England Club consecutively for five year. He wafted across the hallowed Centre Court across the fortnight, almost like poetry swaying from one end to another, like the summer breeze reigning all over the court and hitting the ball to places unprecedented to the opponent with pinpoint precision. This is the rise of an all new Federer, with the same grace and allurement but the best ever techniques, fluidity, temperament, techniques and, above all, the hunger to win.  As the three generation of Federers bore witness to the culmination of one of the finest runs in the tennis history, Roger further consolidated his claim as the greatest sportsman of all time, not only on the lawn tennis court as he became the first person after Bjorn Born to have won the Wimbledon without having dropped a set across the tournament.

The final was just an extension of the flawless game he had played across the tournament. Marin Cilic looked a man with a purpose, but with his game imposingly compromised under the shadow of the talismanic presence on the other side of the court. The long serves and forehands were nowhere to be seen, with just one ace in the entire match. He only succumbed to his foot blister, and metaphorically to the Swiss master’s greatness, as Federer gradually crushed the Croatian under his relentlessness, with commanding backhands, demoralising with his regular detours around the net and breaking Cilic’s serve with an ironical brutality. He hit as many as 23 winners to demolish the Croatian resistance 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. His eyes were always on the trophy, right since his first unseeded opponent and right through Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych, as he assailed their resistances, Cilic only a continuation of the routine proceedings.

This is no resurrection. This is just development. This is just how the almost superhuman of beings redefine the perceptions of perfection, and the world becomes a bit luckier to bear witness to their miracles. As for now, we can not help but fathom what magic is he going to conjure next. What after his 20th Grand Slam at US Open this year? What after he has played beyond 40?

 

 

Feature Image Credits: Sports Illustrated

 

Nikhil Kumar

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The 2006 movie The Prestige opens up with a Michael Caine monologue. He says “Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called “The Pledge”. The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird, or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course… it probably isn’t. The second act is called “The Turn”. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you’re looking for the secret… but you won’t find it, because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be fooled.”

It is almost astonishing how beautifully this depicts the Indian circumstance as PM Narendra Modi, our very own magician, time and again transfers the utopian ideas of national integration, poverty eradication, and the emancipation of the socially, culturally, and economically marginalised on obscure and complex economic policies sugarcoated with his renowned grandiloquence, ingenious analogies, novel symbolisms, hyperboles, and signature abbreviations. The latest midnight reform from the Parliament came with similar pomp and show, riding on the indomitable optimism of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Modi himself, with their personal promises of grassroot and inclusive economic prosperity. It is only to be seen whether the nation already once scathed by the hardships of demonetisation finally finds relief in the messiah’s new trick or it further faces despair and confusion.

Touted by a section of Indian media as the greatest economic reform since Independence after the 1990 Manmohan Singh reforms, a critical examination of this big bang reform reveals the ramifications of demonetisation and raises serious questions over whether a volatile economy like India will be able to cope with such complex market structures. It is an inevitable analysis at this juncture – will this new policy makes lives easier or is just another one of Modi’s stunts because this man can clearly not keep himself off the front page.

Two things should be made clear at the very onset. Firstly, the GST (Goods and Service Tax) is not at all as simple or as utopian as Arun Jaitley and Narendra Modi want us to believe. The BJP, or for that matter any party in India, is at its core a political venture of giant financial houses. Expecting any all-out pro-poor reform would therefore just be unrealistic. Secondly, this reform is not at all an exemption from taxation but rather a distribution of tax from goods of basic survival to the first level goods of comfortable living. It is amply relevant that the different slabs ranging from 5% to 28% are specifically designed to pinch the pockets of the Indian middle class. Clearly, the Indian economy, already mortgaged to the western capitalist institutions in its years of corrupt Congress misrule, has found its new victim in the extensive middle class base. This new policy thus may be seen as a new venture of the government to further appease America.

The government released documents that reveal that the policy is aimed to make the tax incidence on consumers less by reducing compliance costs, removing cascading of taxes, increasing the tax base, reducing logistical costs, and reducing the effective rates of taxes from the present level. The new system is supposed to eliminate India’s notorious complex layers of taxation including purchase, entertainment, excise, luxury and sales taxes (VAT), and others, tackling corruption and inflation at the same time. Even a passing knowledge of the peculiar nature of the Indian economy will reveal the lacuna in every part of the government’s envisioned objectives.

First and foremost, the unorganised sector of India’s economy is vast, employing an estimated nine out of ten workers. When this sector – where the nature of employment is fragile, irregular, and voluminous – is subjected to 37 filings every year including three filings a month added to a jargon of technicalities, the manpower absorption and gross production is significantly reduced. For smaller companies operating on wafer-thin margins, hiring accountants and technical staff could substantially dent their bottom line. This would all lead to zero transference of the added profit to the customers, which in turn only leads to a further increase in prices.

Second, until corruption as a way of life is promoted by the regime, and its supporters and patrons are allowed a free play to evade taxes and plunder national resources, the reform will merely be regressive and atrocious for the giant middle class base, consuming a higher proportion of poor people’s income, compared to those earning large incomes.

Third, the GST will continually pose a threat to the federal setup of the nation and may create unnecessary friction between the states and the centre. This all culminates into the fact that the very fundamental idea of the GST seems to be flawed. It is hard to imagine the practicality of a “one nation one tax” programme when every state in India has its own economic weaknesses, strengths, and challenges.

Once again, the general masses bear witness to a hasty policy which is forced upon them. In the absence of sufficient preparation, infrastructure, resources, knowledge, and compliance across the nation, India once again looks like a class of weak students who are forced to face tough examinations one after another, without the guidance of an expert teacher.

 

Sources:

  1. Economic Survey of India
  2. Government of India official Goods and Service Tax (GST) website.
  3. Modern Diplomacy Archives

Feature Image Credits: Quora

Nikhil Kumar
[email protected]

In a surprise to the students preparing for the LLB entrance, the University has changed the syllabus and the pattern of the entrance examination for the LLB Course. According to this change, the number of questions for the offline exams has been reduced to 100 from 175. With the test scheduled to be held on 2nd July, the news comes as a shocker to the students who had been preparing according to the previous pattern.

According to the notification which came up on Saturday from the office of Dean Law Faculty, the new pattern will consist of  100 multiple choice questions on English language comprehension, general knowledge and current affairs, reasoning and analytical abilities and legal awareness in the aptitude test. This is in contrast to the previous pattern wherein a major portion used to be on Polity and Constitution which comprised of 50 questions in a paper of 175 questions. This section has been majorly scrapped in the new pattern.

As per a report in The Indian Express, a senior law faculty official mooted centralised University examination as the cause of the change. “As it is the university (which is) conducting the entrance along with other entrance based programmes so uniform question pattern was followed. We really cannot do anything about it”, he said.

While these changes are bound to create further anxiety in the student community, with less than 7 days to go for the exam, a current student of the Law Faculty does not see this the same way. In a dialogue with our correspondent, he opines “The university should have come up with these notifications earlier. However, this should not be a cause to panic as most of the aspirants do cover these newly introduced topics in the course of their preparations.”

This news comes in the light of the fact that the University has brought down the number of seats to 1,440 against 2,310 last year after concerns raised by the Bar Council Of India.

 

With inputs from The Indian Express.

Image Credits- DU Beat

 

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

After his largely successful tenure as the mentor of the national team for more than a year, Anil Kumble has decided to call it a day, citing professional indifferences with the captain as the reason of the decision.

After the humiliating Champion’s League final defeat by a margin of 180 runs of the Indian team at The Oval in London at the hands of Pakistan, a major announcement for the fans around the nation was in store. On Tuesday evening, Anil Kumble announced his resignation from the office of  the Head Coach of the national team. This announcement came out after his widely speculated feud with Virat Kohli and the persistent reports that Kohli and company was not comfortable with his coaching style. In the resignation letter that surfaced later the night, Kumble said that he was “surprised” by Kohli’s “reservations” since he had “always respected the role boundaries between captain and coach”.He wrote that “Professionalism, discipline, commitment, honesty, complementary skills and diverse views are the key traits I bring to the table. These need to be valued for the partnership to be effective. I see the coach’s role akin to ‘holding a mirror’ to drive self-improvement in the team’s interest. In light of these ‘reservations’, I believe it is best I hand over this responsibility to whomever the CAC and BCCI deem fit. He further added that, “Though the BCCI attempted to resolve the misunderstanding between the captain and me, it was apparent that the partnership was untenable, and I therefore believe it is best for me to move on.”

These developments followed unequivocal outcry from the Indian cricketing community as many veterans credited Kumble for his contributions to the team being critical at the same time of the superstar culture in the team. Former Indian player Bishan Singh Bedi supported Kumble’s decision of stepping down as the head coach of the Virat Kohli-led Indian team. “It was a job well done and he didn’t get into the limelight while going about it. He got the results. Can anyone challenge that? Kumble was not sitting idle. This is not a happy development for Indian cricket,” said Bedi in an exclusive chat with NDTV. According to another report by NDTV, Sunil Gavaskar was quoted as saying “India have won everything since the time Anil took over. I can’t see Anil doing much wrong in one year. Difference happen in any team but see at the results. If any of the players are complaining, I feel those players are the ones who should be left out of the team.”

In addition to this coaching stint which saw India reclaim the top Test spot, Jumbo has always been acclaimed for his never-say-die attitude towards cricket. His 10 wicket haul against Pakistan on 7th February, 1999 at Feroz Shah Kotla and the way he braved a broken jaw to bowl 14 overs on the final day of the Antigua Test against West Indies in 2002 quite portray the personality he is.

 

Image Credits- Indian Express

 

Nikhil Kumar

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Conforming to their distinctive admissions procedure from the centralised admissions process of the University of Delhi, St. Stephen’s College and Jesus and Mary College, on Sunday, announced the ECA and Sports trials schedule for the undergraduate admissions for the session 2017-18.

According to the schedule on its website, St. Stephen’s College shall be verifying the documents of the applicants from Wednesday (June 14th) to Friday (June 16th) this week.  Here’s a run-down of the process for the trials conducted under Sports quota:

  • The trials of all the listed sports will begin from the 18th of this month and will be conducted till June 25th.
  • While most of the trials will be held in the college itself, those of cricket and swimming will be held at different venues.
  • Save for shooting and swimming, all the trials will be conducted separately for men and women.
  • The trials for swimming, basketball, football, and cricket will be held from 7 a.m. onwards, and the same for squash will start at 2 p.m.
  • The selected candidates will be appearing for the interview round on the July 5th from 9 a.m. onwards.

 

The Sports trials at Jesus and Mary College are scheduled to begin this Wednesday (June 14th) and continue until Saturday (June 17th). Other details mentioned on the website include:

  • The candidates will have to bring their original documents; including the provisional marks-sheets, along with the JMC admission slip.
  • The applicants will have to carry their own equipment.
  • Trials will begin at 7.30 a.m. on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday.
  • The comprehensive schedule for the trials is as follows:

    Image Credits: Jesus and Mary College
    Image Credits: Jesus and Mary College

The college website also mentions that the ECA trials are scheduled to be held on the 15th and 16th of June. The form numbers of the selected candidates will be uploaded on the website on the evening of June 13th, 2017. You can access the website here.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: University of Delhi

 

Nikhil Kumar

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In an epic showdown of the invincible instincts of the Spanish Champions, Cristiano Ronaldo and company  lead Real Madrid to victory yet again consolidating themselves as the greatest team in Europe after a thumping 4-1 win over Juventus in the UEFA Champion’s League final.

The Principality Stadium in Cardiff, bore witness to what was yet another night of sheer Madrid dominance. The match saw Los Blancos no more relying on their Galacticos rubric and the team in its entirety demolished the fabled I Bianconeri defence after the likes of Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini and Dani Alves were reduced to mere dummies against the Modric-Casemiro-Kroos midfield magic.

The first goal of the night came after only 20 minutes of the whistle. Cristiano Ronaldo created a glorious chance for himself, in a quick one-two into the box with Carvajal, as he curled the ball past Buffon from just inside the area. The euphoria was only briefly hindered when Mario Mandzukic, the former Atletico man, scored a stunning scissor equaliser in the 27th minute. The goal spree continued as the second half saw detrimental goals coming from the thundering 27-yard from Casemiro and the tap-in from Ronaldo, with Asensio scoring the ultimate goal in the 90th minute.

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Ronaldo jubilant after the final whistle.

All in all, Madrid did what Madrid does. They demolished the opposition inspite of the statistics and all the emotional strings attached with the retiring Gigi Buffon.

It is almost boring to see a team win repeatedly, but that is also the hardest thing to do. This is something enabled by the perfect game plan of the super-manager Zinedine Zidane and the perennial record-smashes of Cristiano Ronaldo. Their team has made everything achievable. They enjoy unprecedented success by facing different challenges to nearly any other team but overcoming them nonetheless.

This is the beginning of an era. The way Cristiano passes as selflessly as he scores, the way Casemiro demolishes the defence, the way Modric dances with the ball and the way Isco makes the ball move to his symphony. Madrid seems to have no stopping for some years to come. At the Super Cup this August, Manchester United might end up learning this the hard way.

Image Credits- Real Madrid Facebook Page.

Nikhil Kumar
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On February 13 of this year, the New York Times published an article citing a pro-Kremlin website about the 39-year- old former minister of the economy who had come up with his independent movement ‘En Marche (On The Move)’ only 9 months ago which read, “His speeches are too long and full of feel-good banalities. He does not have a real program. His time in government was a failure. He is secretly gay. He is developing a personality cult. He favors capitalism, and besides, he is too young”.

Even when this political virtuoso, still mooted as a novice in this ‘unlikely path’, took the world by storm by defeating Marine Le Pen as the new President of L’Elysee by securing 66% of the popular mandate, an article in Komsomolskaya Pravda, a Moscow-based tabloid newspaper, described him as a gay psychopath who hates his own country and is self-obsessed.

What is evident from these two reports from Russia is that the fear and desperation which forms the stratum of the February article, at the time when they were expecting a possible political situation in France on the lines of Trumpism in America and Brexit in Europe have today metamorphosed into delirious insecurity. Much to the frustration of these extremist institutions in Russia, USA and other parts of the world, this resounding victory is a win for Europe in particular and the global community in general.

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In a Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin-Theresa May dominated right-wing world, the election of this centrist leader can be seen as a sigh of relief and a matter of global celebration. With this new leadership, European Union will retain the principles of globalisation of people as much as of capital, through liberalised immigration. In a world increasingly overburdened with the refugee crisis, religious polarisation shall get a much-needed deacceleration, making at the same time German chancellor Angela Markel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believe that in this anti-protectionism struggle of theirs, this is a return to the era of Barack Obama.

One thing for sure, Macron’s fearless, ubiquitous and unwavering stance on immigration and open borders shall mean a lot to a nation like India, in terms of exchange of capital and a free flow of human resources between the two nations. Particularly, this new political wave of unity in the face of divisive forces would be a lesson for the people ofIndia to identify and rise above the forces behind its ideological divisions and discard the electoral Nazism of the ruling party in the centre and its ideological roots in the Sangh Parivar.

Quite fittingly, European Union anthem ‘Ode to Joy’ boomed as Macron walked to the Louvre stage in Paris for the victory speech.

Image Credits- 1. Marcon during his campaign. The Atlantic

2. Cartoon- New York Times

Nikhil Kumar

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