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Raghav Chopra

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Food Review: Café Hi5

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Anand Vihar’s market in Shadara is no Khan Market or Connaught Place. The market is small, crammed and mostly has general stores, chemists and dry cleaners. But a rare luxury that this market can afford, that too recently, is a surprisingly good café- Café Hi5. The most interesting thing about Café Hi5 is that there are two entrances and a kitchen in the middle such that the two opposite ends of the room are completely disconnected from one another. So each side of the kitchen makes for a small sitting area seating about 8 people.

The servings are large enough that even if you go in a group, everyone manages to get a bite. There is no particular cuisine but Chinese and Italian are served, among others. Also, I have been told that the non-vegetarian food is excellent. You can try their sandwiches, burgers and a variety of desserts. But one of the main attractions of menu is the Iced Tea- it’s not your regular instant Iced Tea mixed in water and served at an overpriced rate and undersized glass. It tastes much like a peach flavored mocktail and is definitely worth a try.

The Café targets mostly school and college going students so the interiors complement the young and energized atmosphere that they have tried to create, complete with a TV and music playing in the back ground.

As far as money matters are concerned, a meal at Café Hi5 won’t throw your budget overboard. It’s decently priced, with a meal for two costing around Rs.400.

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Top Picks

5 Contemporary Classics for the bibliophile

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Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser, Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, Bram Stocker’s Dracula…

The past few centuries have not only led to astounding technological development but also fantastic development of literary excellence. Every decade saw its own artistic genius, be it books, movies or music. The legacy that our ancestors left behind has been breathtaking.

But what about today’s generation? Are we capable of only producing better gadgets and remaking films? Has the Shakespeare been replaced by the Steve Jobs? Most certainly not. The creative genius is just as intact as the wiz kid. And some of our modern day authors back this notion.

The only reason classics are what they are today is because of the adulation of thousands of readers over tens of generations. So if some of the recently written books were to outlive all of us and survive for that long, then they might just find a place in textbooks and the ‘Classics’ section with Romeo- Juliets and Oliver Twist. Here is my list of the 5 books that have the best shot!

1. The Da Vinci Code

There are very few writers who can appreciate the value of time as well as Dan Brown. Quite literally! All his books featuring Robert Langdon span over a day (two at the most). The sheer pace with which this innately gifted professor solves unfathomable mysterious keeps you hooked onto the pages. And the perfection with which the story is presented from multiple perspectives makes Da Vinci Code the work of a skilled virtuoso.

2. Harry Potter Series

I highly doubt that anyone would disagree on this phenomenal series by JK Rowling. I read somewhere, ‘We owe our childhoods to JK Rowling’. And then I realized the level of impact this book has had on the lives of children in the most formative years of their lives. Suddenly from wanting to be astronauts and film stars, every child wanted to be Harry Potter. Achieving a feat like that, the series has the potential to be a classic.

3. The Master of The Game

Very few writers can disregard the value of time as well as Sidney Sheldon. Among all of Sheldon’s books, The Master of The Game is the one that makes you stay up late in the night reading and probably miss a meal the next morning. Starting from Jamie McGregor, the book delves into the life of his daughter- Kate Blackwell, her son and his twin daughters. So basically in a matter of 400 hundred something pages, you span 4 generations, cover two wars, deception, mystery, love, drama and spinning chilling thrill. If this book doesn’t make it to the classics, then maybe classics are over rated!

4. Kane and Abel

Although each of Jeffery Archer’s books is a beacon of unparalleled genius, Kane and Abel deserves a special place alongside the other classics. The book centers around William Lowell Kane and Abel Rosnovski, two men born in different parts of the world, literally and metaphorically, and their journey from birth, their ambitions, struggles and intersected destinies. The profound impact that this book leaves on your mind makes it well worth the honour it’ll most certainly get.

5. The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho’s books are often accused of being too optimistic and often, boring. The Alchemist is no exception. But just because a book isn’t compelling you to finish it in 2 hours doesn’t mean it’s not worth reading. In fact, classics rarely do. You might read the first half and forget about the book for a few weeks or even months. You might not understand the whole point of reading it even after you have finished 3/4th of the book. But the sense of hopefulness and contentment that the book propagates and almost manages to make you believe in, by the end of it, is definitely worth the time you spend on it. And the best part is that it’s a self help book that lets you live in the false sense of security that you don’t need a self help book.

There are a lot more that can be added. But if you haven’t read these, you better start cracking! What other books do you think can become classics in the future? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy: goodreads.com

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Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

The Society Season at SSCBS starts with a bang

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Two weeks into college and the freshers already seem to have their hands full. As the ball gets rolling, every society is vying to get hold of the brightest of the lot and the students are trying to combine quality with quantity. The coveted Career Development Centre (the team that deals with the recruitment of the final year students) was the first to sieve out its Organising Committee. All the other societies, big and small, have started promoting themselves in full swing. Bullet-in boards in different corridors have been assigned to different societies to display the kind of work they have been doing, orientations are being held in break times for students to come and find out if they fit into these societies. To add to the students’ dilemma, a lot of societies become impossible to juggle with the other societies in the peak work season and a lot of other societies explicitly bar students from joining certain other societies.

Among the various things that set CBS apart, the importance it attaches to the societies is distinguishable. One of the very amusing things is the anxiety surrounding the recruitment season. Getting into the best of societies seems to be a matter of grave concern for the freshly admitted students. To add to the energy in the air, many societies like the Blitz (the dance society) and Verve (The streetplay society) are auditioning the students in open ground for everyone to see. All the other societies have booked rooms for interviews and group discussions. So if the students are not attending lectures, they are cueing outside rooms to audition for their preferred societies.

Image Credits: Darkroom, the photography society of SSCBS

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Campus Central

DUSU Elections 2013: Everything you need to know

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Delhi University Students Union is set to hold its elections on 13th September 2013 after the list of the final candidates comes out on 6th September 2013. So if you plan to be the face of DUSU this year, buckle up, because like in all the other elections in the country, you need to put your best foot forward (even if the shoe is rented). Before you put on those Nehru Jackets and prepare the speeches to woo the crowds, a very careful look into the rules for the aspiring applicants is a must.

  • For starters, the applicant must not hold any criminal record of any kinds, must not be repeating a year and should be a regular DU student between the age 17 and 22 (25 for Post Graduate Students).
  • While campaigning, candidates have to keep in mind that they don’t hurt religious sentiments, bribe students, and pass derogatory remarks against women or any communities. Failure to do so shall lead to disqualification of the candidate.
  • Also, a candidate cannot hold the same office twice.
  • The maximum amount of money that an individual candidate can spend for the purpose of campaigning is Rs.5000. No loudspeakers, animals or vehicles are permitted for the purpose of canvassing.
  • No candidate is allowed to deface or destroy any of the college properties including their websites or Facebook pages.
For further reference one can also refer to the complete code of conduct for the elections (2013-2014) issued by the University. However, in order to help the candidates to voice their opinions, DU also has certain facilities in place
  • The DU computer centre shall upload the propaganda material of various candidates.
  • The candidates shall be allowed a fixed time (which presently is 10 minutes) on DU Community Radio 90.4 for campaigning.
Yet another aspect of the DUSU elections is the clash between the contesting students and the whole political scene inevitably turns ugly. To ensure that the elections are held smoothly, DU has established a Grievance Committee headed by the Dean, Student’s Welfare to address and clarify any election related problems. Also, Delhi Police is on high alert during the election time to make sure that any sudden outbreak of violent propagandists does not lead to any major problems. But, irrespective of the up’s and down’s, the DUSU elections give the students an opportunity to make a real difference in the way that the university functions. For all those who want to change the way the University functions, this is your chance to make a difference. All those who want to access the application forms or know more about the Elections, can refer to the DUSU elections section on the DU website. Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net]]>

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Biblio

Read them, don’t watch them!

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Someone once said ‘those who say money can’t buy happiness are the ones who don’t have any’. That someone apparently had excellent insight into human mind, especially of the ones in the film making business. And so the whole process of spending months writing, shooting, editing and releasing a movie boiled down to filling already overstuffed pockets.

And what better way to create a multi million dollar blockbuster than converting an already oversold book into a motion picture. And since the author ends up with jaw dropping royalties and the producers with more money than they can spend, everyone’s happy. But the one flaw in the plan is that blockbusters don’t fall from the skies or off bestselling pages, they need to be made with the most deep and well-thought perspectives. So here’s a look at all the movies that did not only leave blots of disturbing memories in the minds of the viewers but also spoilt the reputation of the books.

  • Angels and Demons- The movie, which had expectations soaring as high as those from classics, was a disappointment. Not only was the plot changed drastically, the film failed to bring out the sheer excitement and thrill a viewer should experience watching Robert Langdon come to life. The studio made a sad choice between a shorter running time and a better, more authentic plot.

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  • Eragon- If you’ve watched the movie, then I don’t even need to elaborate on what a horror those 2 hours were. One of the most well written fantasy novels was turned into one of the most pathetic movies (genre no bar). Everything from start to finish was completely different. In fact, if the studio named the movie something else, they would have had an original disappointment to their credit. Thankfully, a sequel is unlikely. But please do not trust the movie, read the book. It’ll be worth your time.
  • Lord of The Rings: Before you write me off as delusional, let me clarify, the movies were pretty good! But, they were not even a spec on Tolkien’s classic Trilogy. Even though no movie can capture the depth of a book, this is especially true in this case. The plot was the same and the movies won Oscars, still reading the books is a far better experience.
  • Eat Pray Love- Think Julia Roberts, Think visual excellence. And then think again. Beside Roberts in exquisite locations, Eat Pray Love has little to offer. Roberts brilliance as an actor was eclipsed by a completely deformed plot. The movie seemed to drag on endlessly. It wasn’t even able to approach the depth of the book.

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  • The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen- No list of worst movies can be completed without the mention of this particular one, much less a list of good books turned into bad films. The graphic novel is touted as one of the most hair-raising comics of recent times was turned into one of the most shunned movies of all times. In fact, it’s hard to find even one review recommending the movie.
  • One Night At The Call Centre/Hello- If you believe that only Hollywood makes such mistakes, then let me enlighten you. Although the book itself was no Pulitzer winner but the movie was even worse. The audiences discomfort in sitting through the film was mirrored by the evident discomfort of the actors trying to do something they can’t. Actually, neither watching nor reading it will be the safest option.

A few others, which managed to make it to the hall of shame, are Inkheart, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Stardust and Hobbit (making 3, 3 hour films out of one book- seriously!) to name a few.

Do yourself a favor, and do not watch them, read them! (or at least read them before watching the films)

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DUB Speak

Malala Yousafzai: The Voice of Change

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On 9th October 2012, terror was prepared to claim it’s next victim- Malala Yousafzai. A young activist fighting for the girl’s right to education in the Swat district of Pakistan, Malala was shot by Taliban on her way home from school. But as fate would have it, the fighter was not going to succumb to a metal cylinder.

The terror attack could not dampen her spirits or her will to live and after a long struggle against death, she is back on her feet, determined to finish what she started. In her first speech at the United Nations on 12th  July 2012, Malala spoke about terrorism, education, peace and the empowered woman of today. The address was a celebration of the teenager’s birthday and what the world organisation labelled as the “Malala Day”.

They thought that the bullets would silence us, but they failed. Weakness, Fear and Hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.

As I watch that 16 year old girl speak, I am both dumbstruck and amazed. With her humble attire yet determined beliefs, the only instant emotion is respect. For one, her confidence and strength is far beyond the number of her age. The forgiveness imbibed is an inspiration for any non-believer.

In her near 18-minute speech, Yousafzai talked about how the dreams of young children are being crushed in the wake of terrorism, child labour, poverty and handicapped prejudices. Drawing inspiration from great leaders like Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi, Malala plans to tread the path of non-violence in her fight against terrorism and discrimination against the girl child. It’s not about anyone’s personal vendetta, it’s about fighting for change and a life of dignity, peace and equal opportunities. Education is the biggest weapon that humanity has against terrorism. Educating children would mean saving them from falling prey to the stunted ideologies of a few who believe in wrecking havoc and claiming lives of innocent people for their personal satisfaction.

A girl who was shot just because she wanted education has much to complain about. But instead of using this as platform to voice her anger against all those who have wronged her, she used this opportunity to lend her voice to those who have been silenced by terrorism, oppression and discrimination. Malala demands education even for the children of the very Talibs that shot her.

The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them.

The speech and the journey of Yousafzai raises yet another grave concern. Which way is humanity headed? In a world where the children are killed for demanding their rights and thousands of innocent people are executed just because they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, how can any of us expect a stable future? Even if after progressing to a stage where a computer means a window to the entire world, if the security and well being of millions is questionable, then all this progress has been for nothing. While one child is blowing up money buying expensive phones and another is off to study in a University half way across the world, others are not only being deprived of bare necessities but his very existence is under the scanner in the face of terrorism. And why just children, men-women, rich-poor, Indian-French- is the certainty of returning back home safely, without being caught in a cross fire of degenerated ideologies too much to ask for?

‘We realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced.’

If the voices of freedom are not raised soon enough, they’ll be bound and chained by their own cowardice.

Let there be several voices that are raised. Let there be more Malalas.

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Admissions 2013

Aid for the Visually Impaired under FYUP

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Delhi University has faced a lot of flak for the ‘relentless’ implementation of the four-year undergraduate program despite severe opposition. The University, however, is doing its part to make education accessible to all, including the visually impaired students.

DU is doing everything in it’s power to ensure that the visually impaired students do not lag behind or suffer in this newly minted curriculum. To aid the 362 visually challenged students admitted so far, DU will provide them with laptops having a Non Visual Desktop Access (NVDA) software pre installed in them. Also, these students are being given all kinds of fee exemptions, 50 % rebate on mess charges and free metro services so that their education is not hampered.

Another problem that these students were to face was that they have been taught Mathematics and Science only till the 8th grade (and 10th grade, in some cases) and these two are a part of the foundation courses being introduced in the first 4 semesters from this academic year. Responding to this issue, the new curriculum will offer these students a choice between Core Maths and ‘History of Maths’ and Core Science and ‘History of Science’ depending on what they’ll like to pursue.

All these measures were brought to light after an NGO called Shambhavana filed a PIL stating that the FYUP was acting against the interest of the visually impaired and that these challenged students cannot adjust to the new curriculum. In response to this, the high court ordered the formulation of an empowered committee, on whose recommendations all these changes have been made.As per DU counsel Pinky Anand, the University has allotted a sum of Rs. 1.8 crore towards facilitating smooth education for these students and visually impaired teachers in all colleges are being consulted on any suggestions to make the course more amenable to the needs of these students.

Even before this, DU has been playing a proactive role in supporting the universal right to education. Assistance is given to disabled students in every aspect from relaxation in the admission requirements to financial help. The Equal Opportunity Cell established by DU undertakes measures for enable theses students to function as well as possible. Braille texts, audio books, special funding etc. are being provided to them. In addition to this, the University Grants Commission is also supporting selected university departments and colleges to offer specialised education, with financial assistance available under the programme of ‘Integrated Education for Disabled Children’ by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

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DUB Speak

The American Dream

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The bustling streets of New York. The decadence of Los Angeles. The allure of Las Vegas. Yes, most Indians have a mini emotional drama when thinking about the United States of America. This deep rooted obsession with the land of the whites raises yet another question, ‘why are we in such a hurry to live the American dream’, ‘why is it so important to replace New Delhi with New York?’

Since the dawn of mankind, every decade, one Homo Sapien has done something innovative and the others have followed suit. And so, many years ago, one smart ass decided to ditch the Indian soils for the virgin land overseas and ever since then every Indian has been fishing for his golden ticket to the wonderland of America.

Is it the cleaner roads, the so called better infrastructure or just the thrill of rolling your ‘R’s to infinity? Whatever be the reason, India can’t get enough of America. Our directors run off to America every chance they get, just to make a love story that would have been just as pathetic if it was shot in Nehru Park as it did in Central Park. The rich Indian ‘elite’ can’t bear the thought of having their children study in mediocre Indian colleges but they have no qualms with packing them off to down trodden American ‘schools’. The superstars who’ll throw the biggest tantrum if asked to arrive at an inauguration on time don’t mind waiting in line with the other junior artists for the most insignificant role in the Hollywood biggies. And, most importantly, we can’t wait to flaunt the six packs and the bikinis on the beaches of Miami when we haven’t even seen the breath taking backwaters of Kerala!

India has seen the most phenomenal growth in the past few years and true, we have our ups and downs but all said and done, an Indian can never feel more at home than India. Even though America is a gold mine, there are somethings that an Indian cannot experience in on any other continent- getting wet in the rain and then getting stuck for hours in traffic with your closest friends because of water logging, eating bhel puri (not the packed one, but the roadside one), bargaining at Janpath to buy things you don’t really need and countless experiences such as these! But again, not to sound one dimensional and maintaining the tempo, India has its credentials too. The economy, which is kind of brackish at the moment, is bubbling with opportunities. Anyone who wants to start afresh, this is the place. We have the most beautiful women in the world (and no, I don’t just mean Aishwarya Rai). We have some amazing colleges (the top ones, that is)-actually that’s the thing, we have a certain amount of good colleges and twenty students vying for one seat, so if you make it, kudos! And most importantly, we are young (no, not the statistics that state India has a huge workforce on the younger side). I mean, we’ve just started. We can devote the next fifty years to doing things our way! We have a value system, some moral standards and if something is disagreeable, change it. You don’t like unpunctuality-great, be ten minutes early. You don’t like the littered roads, then stop throwing those wrappers on the streets!

After over six decades of throwing away the tag of being a colonial state and after three decades of realizing that the politicians are useless, it is, perhaps, time to be the change instead of asking for it. It is the era of Indian dreams!

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DUB Speak

Massive Open Online Courses: The Way To Go?

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Human beings are nothing if not ingenious. We were born in caves. Then came the axes, spears, wheels, fire and so on (not necessarily in that order). We invented languages, and not just one or two but early 6,500 of them. Then came the scientists, the serious ones, with their electricity and telephones and airplanes. And to top it all, we invented education!

And so the years rolled by with inventions and extinctions. And as man’s inherent need to better himself sharpened, the field of education and knowledge has acquired the importance that cannot even be rivaled, much less outshone, by any other area of interest.

One of the latest developments in the field of education is the introduction of MOOC. For all those who don’t know what they are, MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) is a form of distance learning programs that are completely guided by the Internet. So a person would be admitted online, he gets all his study material online, he interacts with his teachers and colleagues online and learns and betters himself while sitting in front of a 15-inch screen. A lot of educational institutions, including every academic’s Mecca- Harvard, has launched various MOOC’s that reach out to not only a much larger section of people but also at a much smaller price and sometimes, even for free. A lot of times students across age brackets cannot pursue studies because they have to work to earn a living or because they don’t have access to higher education. Distance Learning comes to the rescue then. A student who has to travel hours to listen to a college professor speak can simply sit, switch on his magic screen and learn about practically anything from management to human intelligence. Also, many a times, a student may already be pursuing a particular field and cannot swing two things together. Even in situations like these, he can sign up for an online course and take classes in his free time. Another aspect that works in its favor is that MOOCs primary focus is on spreading knowledge. Much larger number of students can be reached online than in person, in much shorter durations and at a fraction of the cost.

Anyone wanting to pursue on online course just needs to get onto the web and there are courses for almost everything. The most pertinent sites I came across are:

www.mooc-list.com: a highly wide ranging website, it has courses or links in almost all fields across the board.

www.edx.org: a pioneer in the field of online education, this website has associations with universities like Harvard, MIT etc.

www.opencourses.sunstone.in: launched by Sunstone Business School, the course specializes in business and management.

www.code.org: If you are high on learning how to code! The website offers Python, Java, C, C++ along with other programming languages.

(Readers’ inputs)

https://www.coursera.org/: Hugely popular and a combined offering of soft skills as well as professional ones. Can find courses spanning Humanities, Medicine, Biology, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Business as well as Computer Science.

https://www.udacity.com/: The website offers college courses in interactive format right on the web! Science, Business, Psychology – it all gets broken into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels.

http://ocw.mit.edu/: MIT OCW or MIT Open Course Ware offers MIT lectures and course material on the web for students to learn.

But like almost everything else in this world, MOOCs are not perfect. A lot of times, how well a particular concept is understood by the students has more to do with the teacher’s proficiency than the text book in front of the student. Some things need to be debated upon rather than dictated. Distance learning falls short on all these terms. A MOOC can touch the surface of the subject but cannot fathom the depths of an obscure issue that a classroom teacher can. Another pressing issue is the way a student is evaluated. MOOC generally rely on Multiple Choice and highly objective questions that can be checked by a machine. A lot of times a simple yes/no cannot test if a student has grasped the concept or not.

To sum it up, MOOCs are highly useful when the subjects being taught are easy, non-technical and have more to do with self-understanding. But when the concepts become abstruse, subjective and debatable, a strict, imposing, rod wielding professor is the way to go!

Image Credit: Dale Edwin Murray for Nature Magazine

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Admissions 2013

Foundation Courses Under FYUP

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Despite all apprehensions and oppositions from the student and teacher community alike, Delhi University has gone ahead to introduce the four-year programme from the academic session 2013-2014. (Entire admissions 2013 coverage here) Spread over four semesters, Delhi University will offer 11 foundation courses that newly admitted students will be taught. As per the claims made by the University, the main purpose behind these courses is to encourage holistic personality development of a student who is well grounded to the realities the Indian Society is dealing with and every student will be required to clear these 11 papers irrespective of his stream. The foundation courses include:

 First Year:

  • Language, Literature, and Creativity – I
  • Language, Literature, and Creativity – II (English)
  • Information Technology
  • Business, Entrepreneurship, and Management
  • Science and Life
  • Indian History and Culture
  • Building Mathematical Ability
  • Applied Language Course – (any one course).
    • Arabic
    • Bengali
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Persian
    • Punjabi
    • Sanskrit
    • Urdu

 Second Year:

  • Governance and Citizenship
  • Philosophy, Psychology, Communication and Life Skills
  • Geographic and Socio-Economic Diversity
  • Environment and Public Health

These foundation courses aim to increase the interaction of teachers and students and promote a congenial environment to increase a students understanding of what is happening in the world as well as create basic digital literacy.

Since these courses are being introduced for the first time, DU is doing everything to ensure the smooth implementation of these courses. Another round of confusion has been around the question of who will teach these foundation courses. DU has made one thing clear, these courses will be taught by current university faculty who will first be trained to conduct these classes.

So far, the CPDHE, the training unit for Delhi University teachers, has conducted workshops and orientation programmes for 756 teachers in 7 Foundation courses during the last six weeks. The idea is to equip them to teach these courses in a manner that yields some tangible benefits for their students. Theses courses also aim to discourage rote learning and facilitate a high level of understanding through presentations, discussions and interactive sessions. Every college has nominated their faculty members and only the teachers who have received prior training will be entrusted with the task of teaching these courses. Hence, apparently this will result in college faculty teaching school level courses.

In an effort to make sense out of this entire exercise, a lot of teachers have questioned the need to introduce these courses that they feel should have been taken care of at the school level and that they undermine the importance of the specialised stream a student has opted for. To add to their pointlessness, these courses also jeopardise valuable classroom time that could have been used to study the core subject in detail. For instance, a student studying Political Science will not be able to appreciate the complexities of ‘science and life’ or ‘information technology’.

Yet, all said and done, only time will tell what the introduction of the 4 year program does for our education system and the country at large.

(Also see: All you wanted to know about the Four Year Undergraduate Programme)

Image Credit: University of Delhi official website

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