Soch Soch Ki Baat Hai, directed and scripted by Tessa Toms and Urvashi Singhal. It projected that the real judge of an intolerant nation are its people. We must be the change we wish to see in the world, be tolerant to live in a tolerant world, we are the reflection of tolerance, it doesn’t come from outside of you, it comes from within! Riya Chhibber [email protected]]]>
Each year in DU is a new experience, constituting both good and bad happenings. From being the top notch university to being the controversy’s favourite child, life in Delhi University has always been like an exciting Bollywood entertainer, where its possible to have both moral and impromptu controversies, all happening at the same time. Replete with changes, policy decisions, criticisms as well as achievements, let’s take a look at the various significant moments that acted as a crucial marker in the year 2015 for the University of Delhi!
1. Saachi Soni scaled new heights, climbed 10 Aussie Peaks
Saachi Soni, a student of Bachelors in Mass Media at IP College, University of Delhi went for the Reliance and Deuters sponsored Aussie 10 Peaks Mt. Summit. Saachi became the Youngest Indian Person to expedite 75-80 KM in only 2.5 days!
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Saachi Soni[/caption]
Further Reading: Saachi Soni from IP College creates new record
2. Gargi student Vasundhara Choudhary, elected as the Sarpanch of Lilawali, Rajasthan
Vasundhara Choudhary, a 21 year old student, studying Psychology Honours in Gargi College, was elected the Sarpanch of her ancestral village Lilawali, in Rajasthan. Her feat is indeed extraordinary; she being the first woman Sarpanch of Lilawali, and second woman to hold the office in Rajasthan apparently, after Chhavi Rajawat, a management graduate who was elected as the Sarpanch of Soda village in Tonk, Rajasthan.
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Vasundhra Choudhary[/caption]
Further Reading: Vasundhara Chaudhary from Gargi elected as village president
3. University of Delhi won the ‘Visitor’s Award’ in the ‘Best Innovation Category
Delhi University grabbed laurels at the Visitor’s Award for Central Universities in the category of ‘Innovation’. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the award in a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on February 4th, 2015. The award was received by Prof. Vijay K. Chaudhary and Dr. Amita Gupta of DU who invented a rapid diagnostic test for Tuberculosis, named ‘TB Confirm’. They were rewarded with a Citation along with a cash prize of Rs.1,oo,ooo INR.
Further Reading: Delhi University grabbed laurels at the Visitor’s Award for Central Universities
4. CBS graduate Aditi Arya won Miss India 2015
Aditi Arya, an alumnus of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, won the Femina Miss India 2015 title on the 28th of March. Aditi bagged the Miss India crown after winning the title of Miss Sudoku and Miss Beautiful Hair at the event.
Further Reading: Aditi Arya from Shaheed Sukhdev College won Miss India 2015
5. Hans Raj College appointed its first female Principal in history
Hans Raj College, appointed Dr. Rama as the new Acting Principal after the successful tenure of Dr. V.K. Khwatra, the outgoing Principal. It was for the first time in the 67-year history of Hans Raj College, that the command of the institution was handed over to a female. Dr. Rama had taken over as an Assistant Professor for Hindi at the college in August 1991.
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Dr. Rama as the Principal for Hans Raj College[/caption]
Further Reading: Hans Raj College appointed first female principal
6. Ramjas College and Hans Raj College bagged the second and third spot respectively at Enactus Nationals
Enactus conducted a national competition which saw a participation from 60+ college teams from across the country. While all of the teams had projects which made a difference for a different community, teams from Hans Raj College, Ramjas College, and IIT-Delhi stole the show. While Enactus Ramjas portrayed 3 major projects including- Project Transcreations and Project Aradhaga and were adjudicated as the first runner up, Enactus Hansraj with two major projects- Project Boond and Project Mithaas was adjudged with the third prize.
Further Reading: DU shines at Enactus Nationals
7. DU Professor Rajeev Gupta received CRSI medal
Professor Rajeev Gupta of Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi was honored with the Bronze Medal (2016) by the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) for his contributions to research in Chemistry. The CRSI was founded by Bharat Ratna Prof. C. N. R. Rao in 1999 and is the largest chemical society of the country.
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Prof. Rajeev Gupta[/caption]
Further Reading: Chemical Research Society of India honours Prof. Rajeev Gupta of DU
8. DU student honoured with NATIONAL RTI AWARENESS AWARD, 2015
Himadrish Suwan, a second year student of Political Science, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, was presented with the RTI Awareness Award 2015 by the RTI Institute of India on 28th September, 2015 (International Right to Information Day), for his contribution in the field of RTI activism.
Further Reading: National RTI Awareness Award won by a DU student Himadrish Suwan
9. Google CEO Sundar Pichai visited SRCC
The man behind the topest-notch corporate Google Inc. Sundar Pichai visited Shri Ram College of Commerce in December. The session at SRCC was an interactive one, as they invited students to “Ask Sundar”. The Chennai-born executive is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur. He joined Google in 2004 and worked as the Product Chief before taking over as the CEO.
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Sundar Pichai[/caption]
Further Reading: Sundar Pichai at SRCC for #AskSundar by Google
1. DU B. Tech students fought for an AICTE approved degree
Despite the rollback of the FYUP scheme, the agenda of proper recognition of student’s B.Tech courses from the AICTE was not paid attention. Many students had come together to voice their grievances.
Further Reading: AICTE degree debacle
MARCH 2015
2. ‘DU Bachao Maha-Rally’ by ABVP lathicharged outside VC Office
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Delhi University Students’Union (DUSU) on 27th March 2015 held a massive rally against the DU administration on their nine point demand agenda. The ‘DU Bachao Maha-rally‘ attracted more than four thousand students who gathered at the Arts’ Faculty for the same. When the protesters reached near the Gate number 1, a barricade broke due to the excessive rush. Nine students, including two DUSU office bearers were severely injured and dozens other injured in police lathicharge outside VC Office Gate no 1.
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Injured after the lathicharge[/caption]
Further Reading: Nine injured at ‘DU Bacchao Maha Rally’
3. St. Stephen’s principal banned E-ZINE
St.Stephen’s principal Valson Thampu banned a student run e-zine following the magazine’s publication of the principal’s interview without his permission. The e-zine, which was started by four philosophy students of the college, went live on March 7 and registered over 2000 hits on an interview of the principal. The principal had banned the e-zine for not seeking clearance for the issue.
Further Reading: Valson Thampu banned student run e-zine
4. SFI conducted referendum on CBCS, more than 90% voted ‘NO’
The Students’ Federation of India (SFI), CPI (M)’s student wing, conducted a referendum on the widely debated Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) which was implemented at the undergraduate level this year by the Delhi University. In the referendum it was found that more than 90% students voted against CBCS System.
Further Reading: Majority vote against new CBCS
5. ABVP, NSUI & CYSS clashed during DUSU elections
NSUI supporters along with their presidential candidate Pradeep Vijayran and Vice Presidential candidate Prerna Singh had been physically assaulted when they were campaigning at PGDAV College at Nehru Nagar.
Further Reading: NSUI candidates assaulted while campaigning
6. Right to Accommodation goes on hunger strike
The members of the Right to Accommodation group went on an indefinite strike for 44 days outside Gate No. 1 of the Arts Faculty building in North Campus protesting against the lack of rent regulation and hostel accommodation for the students staying in and around Delhi University.
Further Reading: Right to Accommodation group protest against lack of rent regulation
This year, colleges tried numerous ways and means to hold exams for the excess number of students. In a lot of cases, same exam timings for students of Morning and Evening Colleges led to chaos and the problem was seen in colleges in North, South as well as off-campus.
Further Reading: How DU colleges scored at Infrastructure this exam season
All the images used here have been cited in the respective articles quoted, along with required credits!
Riya Chhibber
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As the year ends,one is faced with a great dilemma: acing the perfect New Year’s Eve look! With multiple gatherings and parties to attend, it becomes immensely important to wear what is comfortable, yet chic and stylish; something that will make one completely stand out! So we thought, why not ease your burden and give you the essential cheat sheet that will guide all you pretty ladies to an awe inspiring ‘New Year’s Eve look’! Take a peek at the list below.
1. Sequinned Blazers
Comfort=style,and that is the mantra. There is no doubt that a woman loves to dress up for occasions. However, she seldom would want to compromise on her comfort.If one isn’t comfortable,one won’t be able to fully enjoy either the event or the look.
So, if you are a style chick and don’t want to go for the conventional decked up look this New Year, then go for a sequinned blazer! To add an edge to the look, you can team up the blazer with pumps or stilettos along with skin tight jeggings or trousers.
2. Faux Fur Blazer
An ultra- chic fur jacket is all you need to take an average party outfit to a glamorous winter eve show stopper!
4. Jump suits
Jump suits may have become a receding trend, but they are definitely not out of fashion! Simple, elegant and hassle free, a Jump Suit is a great option for that special evening. So pick up a nice jump suit and let your look do all the talking!
5. Pencil skirt and lose tops
Pencil skirts are not just suitable for a business attire but, if worn in a quirky and edgy fashion, it can do wonders for your look! Jazz up a nice pencil skirt with a lose fitting top and add the much needed pinch of glam by wearing some accessories that enhance the overall look.
6. Long Boots
You needn’t freeze to death in that short dress! Add extra oomph and warmth to your outfit with long boots in suede or faux leather.
7. Velvet Dress
A very on- trend material, velvet, will keep you warm and give your outfit the texture it needs to stand out from the crowd. Pair with a leather jacket for a rock chick look.
8. The surreal saree
Why go all western when a saree can be as intimidatingly appealing ? Yes, even a saree can do wonders when trying to find a new look to uplift your new year celebrations. Lately, a trend of teaming up a saree with slacks has caught fire. Well, the trend never died. So grab a dazzling saree and enjoy the new year celebration!
Have you ever thought, how would your family react if you died and have lots of property to bifurcate among self- proclaimed ‘soon to be second -hand’ rich people? Well, to spark the Christmas excitement on the same note, Thespian Theatre Company performed their production called ‘Kya Family Hai! at Shri Ram Centre on 25th December.
A comical satire, the play depicted the internal relationships of a family – husband with wife, brother with sister, father with children. However, when the father dies, the children make a beeline for his property, their greed for money making them completely insensitive to his dying wishes. It is a satire on the fading morality of society, on how we have become so self-centred that we trample on the wishes of our own loved ones.
The role of the father, played by the tycoon of comedy- Asrani, the ‘Angrezon Ke Zamane Ka Jailor’, realizes that he has only 2 hours to live and decides to frame his will. After he dies, his soul stays behind, only to see his children fight over his property which takes place in a very comical way. Performed under the remarkable direction of Raj Upadhyay, each scene was well crafted. Despite being a bit too long, the humour element of the play kept the audience engaged.
Replete with excellent timing and dialogue delivery by artists including Nadeem Khan, Nargis Nandan, Pranav Sachdeva, Ashok Dhawan, Aarti Sharda Nayar, Vaidehi Sharma, the audience thoroughly enjoyed the play as was evident from the cries of laughter time to time!
Thespian Theatre Company, that was started by two graduates of Hans Raj College – Ishan Soni and Pranav Sachdeva with the aim to change the face of Delhi theatre, strives to promote theatre as an art form and inculcate it in daily life by means of their productions.
If you would like to know about more productions by Thespian, check out the following links:
https://dubeat.com/2015/12/thespian-theatre-company-giving-theatre-an-edge-with-dedication/
http://www.thespiantheatrecompany.com/
On behalf of Harshit Thukral and Prateek Singh for DU Beat
Riya Chhibber
“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”– Malala Yousafzai
There are no qualms about the fact that children are the buds of a country’s future and it is the blooming of these buds that ultimately decides any state’s fortune. Taking the same thought forward, CRY (Child Rights and You), an esteemed non-profit organisation in India, that aims to restore children’s rights, has initiated a Child Rights Leader Program across Delhi University this year.
Child Rights Leader program is a unique youth intervention strategy where only one ‘Child Rights Leader’ has been handpicked from every college. The chosen leader will not only lead a movement for child rights in his/her campus but will also be involved in bringing awareness among young college students on issues of Child Rights with a special focus on Child Labour.
Out of a total of approximately 100 application that were received in the north region itself, a total of 8 students were shortlisted on the basis of their application forms and interviews as Child Rights Leaders for their colleges.
Final Shortlisted Student’s for the program are:
The selected Child Rights Leaders were inducted on 11 September 2015 where they were not only briefed about the history of CRY and its vision, but were also given a presentation on Child Labor, the issue that they will be working on in their campaign. The final CRLs are all set to lead a movement against Child Labour in their campuses with zeal and enthusiasm for a change.
Riya Chhibber