Sudisha Misra, Author at DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

Most anticipated movies of the second half of 2015

By Sudisha Misra August 31, 2015

The first half of 2015 saw some successful Hollywood releases like Mad Max: Fury Road, Furious 7, Inside Out, etc. While fans are getting more excited about 2016 which offers the release of Suicide Squad and Batman V/S Superman, a lot of movies still wait to release this year. Following is a list of the most anticipated movies of the second half of 2015.

1. The Martian

Releasing in October, 2015 and directed by Ridley Scott, this is a science-fiction movie based on its namesake novel. Matt Damon plays the role of Mark Watney who is the protagonist. He is a lone survivor on Mars when his colleagues pronounce him dead after getting caught in a fierce storm. But with minimal supplies, he learns how to grow food, send messages back to earth and in his exact words, he tries to “science the shit out of it”.

2. Everest

After giving a brilliant performance in “Nightcrawler”, Jake Gyllenhall is back with another thriller. This time, he isn’t an insane thief running around at night trying to get violence captured in a camera, but a climber. Based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, Gyllenhall plays the role of Scott Fischer who led one of the survival expeditions in this disaster. The other expedition was led by Rob Hall played by Jason Clarke. Releasing in September, 2015, the cast also includes Kiera Nightley, James Brolin, and Robin Wright.

3. The Revenant

Inspired by the life and adventures of frontiersman and fur trapper Hugh Glass, this movie is a revenge story set in 1820s. Leonardo di Caprio plays the role of Glass and is mauled by a bear, leaving him injured and unconscious. His comrades including Tom Hardy rob him and leave him behind to take his last breath. Glass instead gets alright and decides to take revenge. The film is set to release in December and will feature Caprio fighting with the rest of the cast in some intense scenes shot in a wintry land.

4. Regression

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar, this is a psychological thriller with Emma Waston and Ethan Hawke in the lead roles. Hawke plays the role of Detective Bruce Kenner who investigates a case in Minnesota. The case is about a local resident John Gray who knows that he has sexually abused his 17 year old daughter played by Emma Watson, but does not remember doing it. The movie was set to release on August 20, but might get delayed to some other month.

Image Credits- dailymotion.com

Sudisha Misra

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Small Screen

True Detective Season 2: Mid-season review

By Sudisha Misra August 3, 2015

Although not as good as the first season, True Detective season 2, upholds the official rights of subjecting the viewer to a vortex of crime, emotions, darkness and sadness.

Writer Nic Pizzolatto has chosen to set the story in a fictional town this time, called Vinci. But Vinci is spectacularly similar to Vernon, situated near Los Angeles. Vinci is an industrial wasteland and about 80% of the population lives there in sheer poverty falling prey to a network of corrupt businessmen and dipsomaniac politicians, and police officers. Pretty much like Gotham, even the momentary glimpses of Vinci in the show highly resemble the infamous DC comic city.

Unlike the last season which basically revolved around Detective Rustin Cohle, this season focuses on the lives of four different people- Vinci’s Detective Ray Velcoro, who has a nasty drinking problem and is damaging his son’s life, Sheriff department’s detective Ani who has a past she’s trying to forget, Paul Woodrugh, a Highway patrol officer, who is constantly in refusal of his sexual desires and Frank Seymon, a corrupt businessman who had been dealing with the first victim.

The season is primarily slow with characters having murky pasts and even after six episodes, it’s hard to connect the dots. Collin Farrell and Rachel McAdams are doing well in their roles but Vince Vaughn’s acting skills seem questionable in this one. Velcoro’s sardonic humor provides the perfect comic timing and Taylor Kitsch would be my favourite for portraying the role of a mysterious Paul with a maleficent sexual past.

If the first two episodes leave you bewildered, wait for the third episode wherein the story actually begins to make sense. Watch out for intense gunfire and violence. Other than that, True Detective season 2 is a classic piece of crime drama.

Image Credits: blogs.indiwire.com

Sudisha Misra

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Spo(r)tlight

“2015 Football World Cup? What World Cup?”: The Plight of Women’s Football

By Sudisha Misra July 5, 2015

Oh hey, did you catch Japan’s win over Netherlands in the Football World Cup?

Before you scramble to think if it has indeed been four years since 2014, let me confirm that we are still in 2015.

Confused? Well, given the attention (or lack thereof) Women’s Football gets, it’s not surprising that the majority of people, even major football fans, are unaware that there’s knockout stages of a football World Cup going on in Canada right now- the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Today, when the most prevalent ‘F-word’ is probably Feminism and everything’s about equality between sexes, one of the (literal) fields where women substantially lag behind men is football. Mind you, they lag behind not in terms of skill or perseverance but rather in terms of opportunities available and media attention. Though the issues plaguing the game are vast and multi-layered, here are some of the major obstacles women footballers face while pursuing their passion for the beautiful game:

1. Wage Gap:

There is a considerable gap between the wages of men and women footballers. Did you know, for instance, that the five consecutive times winner of the FIFA Women’s player of the year, the Brazilian striker Marta only gets paid (3000 GBP) a fraction of what a good EPL player gets (135,000 GBP)? Let’s not even make comparisons with the four-times Ballon D’Or winner Leo Messi.

The England women’s team recently complained to the FA for their low salaries during the previous world cup- they were apparently paid just 40 GBP per day. This leaves them in a lurch and they often have to juggle other jobs with playing football. Many female footballers also give up on the sport due to financial instability. It’s a shame, considering that many women’s national teams are doing much better than their male counterparts.

2. Lack of Media Attention:

The very fact that practically no one even knows that Women’s Football World Cup is a thing happening right now is proof enough of the fact that no one wants to care about it. Before you go and take a ‘But this is India and no one cares about football, period’ stand, let me present you with some startling facts from countries where football is the major sport.

Georgiana Turner, a sports journalist, found out that there are only 303 articles about women’s football in The Guardian’s archive running back till 1998. In a vivid contrast, Alex Ferguson has about 184 all to himself. The most watched women’s sports event ever had viewership of less than a million people during the 1999 Women’s World Cup, while the men’s games clock in millions of viewers year after year.

In fact, most female players agree on the fact that it’s not the wage gap that worries them more; it’s the lack of fans coming to watch the games and how less their matches are aired on television. It’s their belief that if media supports women’s football more, it will translate into better wages, better sponsors and more appreciation for their game.

3. Sexism:

When EA Sports released FIFA 16 with the new feature of women’s teams, the flood of disgusting sexist comments that flooded the social media were sickening. This and the kind of sexist comments and behaviour that female football professionals- players, referees, other staff- have to go through everyday should probably make everyone claiming Feminism to be a passé issue sit back and rethink their stance.

A recent survey conducted by ‘Women in Football’ revealed that an astonishing 28 per cent of respondents have witnessed female employees being treated unfairly. More worryingly, more than 50 per cent of people surveyed believed their looks to be of greater importance than their ability to do their jobs.

Ever wondered why there aren’t many female football referees? Because they’re greeted to lewd comments by spectators and players alike. There was an entire time a few years ago when Chelsea’s first-team doctor, Eva Carneiro, grabbed attention all over the world through comments on her looks and scepticism on her skills. It’s problematic on so many levels that what she gets to hear isn’t “She must be damn good at her job to be here despite all the obstacles” but rather “Hey, show us your vagina”, thus hyper-sexualising the presence of women in a game that already shuns them.

It’s not just professionals either. Try being a female football fan and you can experience most of it on a first-hand basis. As someone who has been an ardent football fan since 2008 and has been involved with all things football on the social media, I can attest to the fact that female football fans are never taken very seriously in discussions and are assumed to be in it either for the attractive players (which, very honestly, is so untrue because A) we only get to see indistinguishable specks of the so-called attractive players while watching a match which kinda defeats the purpose and B) get over yourself, not a lot of them are as aesthetically pleasing as you’d believe) or for the sake of attention from fellow male fans (which is laughable because no one would be stupid enough to invest time, efforts and emotions in a game for the sake of a person especially if the only reason they give them the time of day is because they like football). It’s after having answered questions about the offside rule and formations that I could argue a stance on discussion boards and be taken seriously, something that disturbs me to no end.

It’s not just women. Football has deep-rooted issues with almost all minority communities. Issues of homophobia, sexism and racism mar the world’s most popular sport. On the occasion of 2015 Women’s World Cup, let’s strive to make football a welcome place for women!

Featured Image: Indian women’s football team, zeenews.india.com

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Sounds

5 2015 Albums To Look Forward To

By Sudisha Misra June 27, 2015

We’re midway through 2015 and it has proven to be a pretty good year for music with artists like Muse, Fall Out Boy and Kendrick Lamar releasing some great albums. We bring you the 5 albums we’re looking forward to in the second half of 2015:

1. Owl City- “Mobile Orchestra”

The electro-synthy-pop sounds of Vanilla Twilight and Fireflies made Adam Young’s musical project ‘Owl City’ a feature in most of the playlists around the world, though he had always enjoyed a popular presence on social media since he started posting songs online in 2007. ‘Mobile Orchestra’, his fifth studio album after a bunch of singles and EP releases, is set for release on July 10. The album will mostly remain true to the ear-pleasing electronica sounds that Owl City is known for but who’s to say that’s a bad thing?!

2. Halsey- “Badlands”

Ashley Frangipane, or Halsey, as she’s known by her stage name, is out earning plaudits as a powerful live performer and for her edgy, confessional lyrics. In the span of a year, she has been signed by a major record label, went on a tour with “The Kooks” and is now out again on tour with “Imagine Dragons”, promoting her album as she goes. Halsey proclaims herself to not be a particularly gifted vocalist but all of that takes a backseat when you are enveloped in the experience of her songs- they’re hauntingly beautiful with thoughtful lyrics and an entire concept around them. The same is expected out of ‘Badlands’, which the singer herself has described as “an angry, female pop record”.

3. Lana Del Rey- “Honeymoon”

She crept up on the music scene and made her way to the top before anyone could really figure out what was up. Ever since “Video Games”, Lana Del Rey- born Elizabeth Grant- has been a much-talked- about feature of the industry. From being praised for her melancholy songs, labelled an anti-feminist for the characters in her music and to serving up two huge albums- she has been there, done that. After being featured on ‘The Great Gatsby’s soundtrack with “Young and Beautiful” and 2014’s “Ultraviolence”, Lana is set to stir up another musical storm with her next album due later this year. Titled “Honeymoon”, it’s bound to be an interesting affair even if not anything else.

4. Ariana Grande- “Moonlight”

Although her sophomore album “My Everything”- which spawned five hit singles- released just about a year ago, Ariana Grande is ready to serve up more music and might release an album in the later half of this year. The pop-princess who’s been reigning the charts and drawing comparisons to Mariah Carey for her soaring vocals has been dropping hints about her upcoming release, titled “Moonlight” on social media platforms. She even dropped a 9 second teaser of a new song that seemed to have captured people’s attention for sounding like a dance tune. Although a 2015 release hasn’t been confirmed with a date, it’s safe to say that the songstress will drop at least a few singles even if not the whole album before we’ve seen the end of this year.

5. Kanye West- “SWISH”

Kanye West, forever embroiled in some controversy or another, is as strange a musician as he is a person. He is as critically acclaimed as a musician as he is often despised for his antics. 2014 was the only year after 2009 that Kanye West didn’t release any new albums- collaborations or solo. It’s only fair for there to be a lot of expectations of his possible 2015 release titled “SWISH”. This will also be his first album post his wildly-publicised wedding to Kim Kardashian the birth of his daughter North West, and it will be interesting to note the changes, if any, towards his approach to the album.

Shubham Kaushik
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Admissions 2015

The skeptical kid’s guide to PG accommodation in Delhi University

By Sudisha Misra June 23, 2015

Starting to live in a new city can be overwhelmingly difficult. On one hand, you are excited because you’ve just got selected to a prestigious university like DU and on the other hand, you have to start living in a new city not knowing where to go or how you will get treated. I know that feeling. Two years ago, even I was a similar person, a chirpy fresher who was too enthusiastic to be broken down by despair or distress. But I made mistakes andpaid the price. Stemming from a pond of hopelessness was tough but it’s not impossible and we all learn with time. Here are some guidelines of Paying Guest accommodation that covers all the things that you should watch out for, be careful towards and should not do at all. These guidelines will come in handy and will prevent you from making mistakes.

Things to keep in mind

1. While searching for a PG

It’s better to choose a PG that is in the locality of your college. All colleges under Delhi University have PGs in their locality. This way, you will be able to save on traveling costs.
Never rely on ads available online. There are very limited PG ads online and you might fall for a bad one. The pictures are mostly fake and the specifications, false.
If you are too bent on trusting an online PG ad, they will always ask for security money. Once you reach the city and do not like the PG, make sure that your money is refunded. The wise option is to agree on a policy beforehand.
Always look for a broker in the locality of your college. The brokers are aware of mostly all the PGs and are personally in touch with the landlords.
Do not fall for the first PG that you see and check out at least 5-6 before you decide on something.

2. While choosing a PG

PGs are supposed to offer you three things- food, a furnished environment and security. Make sure all the three things are available.
Most PGs are very unhygienic and 4-5 students are stuffed in one room at exorbitant prices. Try to decide on a PG that is spacious and clean and you get your private space.
Make sure that you get a well kempt room with a clean, big cupboard. You should also be provided with a kitchen for personal usage.
PGs are supposed to provide food but these days landlords ask you to get a maid of your own and pay for everything. If that’s the case, don’t agree on living.
The landlord/landlady is supposed to stay with you and assure complete security. Most PGs have landlords living elsewhere and that does not come in the definition of a PG.

3. After choosing a PG

All the PGs and flats are supposed to be registered under the The Rent Control Act that was passed in 1958. If it’s a registered PG, you will get a Rent Agreement that is mandatory. Don’t go for a PG that isn’t registered.
Logically, you’re only supposed to pay one month security beforehand and not more than that. Also, always get a receipt. This receipt will help you get the security money back.
Make sure that you make a formal agreement on either the adjustment or refunding of the security money.
Do not leave without a Rent Agreement and read all the points carefully. Ask for amendments on anything you do not agree with.
The broker should not take more than one month’s rent. Never agree on paying more than that and always make attempts to bargain.

Things to watch out for

Never give in to the wishes and temperament of the landlord. They always try to bulldoze all the tenants but you should remember that you always have the power in hand.
A lot of shopkeepers in the locality have connections with certain landlords and they try to enforce the idea of a specific PG on you. Never try to consult shopkeepers and always approach a broker.
Beware of ‘rent mafias’ who take money in advance without providing any sort of receipt and agreement. Again, remember that you have certain rights as a tenant.
Always make sure that the landlord isn’t using your room while you’ve gone away for vacations. Keep a track of how you arranged things before leaving and always check whether things are in place or not.
Never get too close to the neighbours. Some are good but most are nosy and can end up complaining or casting aspersions on you.

After you’ve started living in a PG, you should also try to befriend shopkeepers of departmental stores, etc. are who extremely goodhearted and may help you in times of need. They also have all the important contacts that come in handy. These are things you should always remember while looking for and finally staying in a PG. Hope it will make things easier. Happy staying!

Image Credits: uinnberlinhostel.com/

SudishaMisra
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Features

WattAVillage – Electrifying villages across India

By Sudisha Misra June 23, 2015

There exists a huge count of villages in India which do not have electrification as of yet and life in these areas comes to a half after sunset. While we stamp our feet and start fidgeting when there is an absence of electricity just for a few minutes, there are villages which have never experienced the presence of even an iota of electrified light. WattAVillage, a non-profitable organization works with budding individuals to provide these villages with enough electricity for basic lighting and mobile charging. It helps to replace resources like kerosene, wood and other fossil fuels with electricity in these villages.

The organization was established and began implementing its projects in April 2014. The first projects were carried out in Uttar Pradesh especially in areas around Bahraich and Barreily which have abundant villages around. The volunteers of WattAVillage educated and sensitized the people of these areas about usage of solar panels and how their production and utilization can provide ample amount of electrification to the villages. They believe that India will never be fully developed as long as there are people who go to sleep in complete darkness. Their main motive is to assure that everyone in India receives electricity in their home. Apart from this, they have also carried out projects based on fighting deforestation ‘Planting Trees: A Green Community Project’ and waste management ‘Green Waste Management’.

Presently, they are working to create a virtual network of interested individuals who are ready to contribute in different areas of the organization. Under the guidance of their trustees Ms. Tanya Ahuja and Ms. Beena Ahuja, the management committee, teachers, professionals and retired bureaucrats, they plan on surpassing Phase I and expanding their projects. They are working towards expanding the number of volunteers and moving on to villages situated in other parts of India like Maharashtra, West Bengal and more.

WattAVillage invites all the students who might be willing to work with their organization. Engineering students can volunteer for providing innovative solutions and help in researching on telemetry and solar engineering. Once in a while, they’ll get the opportunity of contributing in village electrification and laying the grid. On the other hand, marketing students can help in providing financially feasible models. They also invite Humanities students for community visits, social media promotion and other related work. Students who wish to improve the living standards of these villages should definitely volunteer for this organization.

You can contact WattAVillage at [email protected] to become a volunteer or contribute ideas.

Image Credits- wattavillage.com

Sudisha Misra
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Life at Delhi University: English Honours

By Sudisha Misra June 7, 2015

I’ve always had a knack of reading, rummaging through the pages to find beauty, truth and happiness. I have smelt the pages before perusing the text, wept for hours after reading unhappy endings, loved recycled, yellow pages more than anything in the world. Belonging to a family of voracious readers, I was always given more books to read than toys to play with. It became an inherent passion, to fall in love with words without distinguishing among poetry, vignettes, novellas, novels and so on. I’ve adored books so much to the point that before I knew it, I subconsciously chose English Literature as my major, fluttered to another city and in the blink of an eye, completed two years already.

I’ve been procrastinating for a while now and after I was asked to write this article I was filled with umpteen thoughts that made me realize how blessed this journey has been. Opting for English Honours was a blessing in disguise and I’ve been basking in the glory of this odyssey ever since its inception. This course has molded me into a completely different person, from a lover of literature to a connoisseur of arts. It has metamorphosed my thoughts, perception, interests and priorities. But all these have been positive attributes and for those about to begin a journey similar to mine, I vouch for its goodness. Below are some points that we all will relate completely to.

The stereotypes were false-General opinions about this course have always existed and the most common ones have been these adages, ‘It’s all about reading books’, ‘Dude, you just gotta read a novel and give the exam’. While these may seem true, this is not actually the case. The course is not about reading one novel per semester but covering a plethora of literary genres with ample amount of books under each of those. We don’t just read one book per semester; we read around ten to fifteen. Our exams are about writing pages after pages to the point that it hurts and a percentage above 60% is considered to be the best grade one could get. Hence, unlike other courses, we don’t strive for securing a good percentage every semester; we toil for acquiring knowledge in different eras of literary history.
A Tumbluresque life – I know I just made up that word but my artistic license will make up for it. We live for quotes that will take our breath away and make us crave for more. I have an unhealthy obsession for quotes that have made me addicted to Goodreads and Tumblr. I spend hours in my room just reading excerpts from books and suppressing the urge to post everything on Facebook or captioning it for an Instagram post. And all that has lead me to Tumblr. It’s an amazing platform where we can let out our thoughts without the fear of having a compulsive disorder. Our life revolves around Goodreads, Tumblr, berlin-artparasites and similar platforms which feed us literature in tidbits. We also don’t watch movies before actually reading a book and while watching a movie, we always annoy the person sitting next to us by pointing out the differences.
Eras, not Genres. Kinds, not writers. – As an English major, I have formally given the habit of reading books according to particular genres. We read books according to eras be it Victorian or Romantic or Elizabethan and so on. We also don’t focus much on different writers, than we do on the kind of book. We don’t just limit ourselves to reading novels but graphic novels (read books that have pictures), epics (read poems that are too long to handle), dramas (read always fun to enact). And before I even knew it, my favourite books became Animal Farm and Lolita and Lord of The Rings quietly took a step backward in the book shelf. We also don’t read books from one perspective but see them through various lenses often noticing the subaltern voices and analyzing through their eyes. That’s just who we are, we notice the suppressed and strive to empower them.
The festivals have changed – As a kid, I was always excited about the arrival of festivals be it Diwali, Christmas, Holi, etc. You name it and I was enthusiastic about it. As a college student, I have been most excited about book fairs. My favourite festivals of the year are Delhi Book fair, Jaipur Literature Festival and National Book fair. Not just that, all my savings are spent on collecting books from the Sunday book Market at Daryaganj running around in scorching heat trying to get every book in my wishlist in 40-50 rupees. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for me to read them but the fact that they’re in my room comforts me. The love is irrevocable and obsession is hard to let go.
Beauty is truth and truth is beauty – This beautiful quote by Keats completely explains our quest for knowledge and truth. As an English major, I’ve seen my peers and I getting closer to nature with every passing day. This course has made me notice the beauty of sadness, destruction, death and even beautiful things like nature, landscapes and things likewise.

We’ve felt a constant urge to explore cities, know more about people’s lives and explore untraveled paths where our poetries could become true and the stories we’ve read would make more sense. That’s the joy of being an English student. And that’s the sense of completeness you’ll receive too.

SudishaMisra [email protected]

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Admissions 2015

Courses less known: Language and vocational courses

By Sudisha Misra June 1, 2015

One of the great reasons why Delhi University is way ahead than other universities in India is the advancement in its courses. There are courses beyond the realm of conventional and mainstream subjects like Economics and Commerce, etc. These include language and vocational courses. The language courses have been embraced as a part of academics in many colleges. For vocational courses, Delhi University took a bigger step and established an institution called College of Vocational Studies. These courses are of three years and one graduates with the complete knowledge of the subject, both theoretically and practically.

Following is a list of all the language and vocational courses in Delhi University.

Language Courses

1. B.A. (Honours), M.A., M. Phil, PhD

There are a number of languages that you can get a degree in from the above options. These include French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Bulgarian, Japanese and the Chinese language.
For taking up any of these as your major, you need to clear an entrance test. For some of the languages, you also be interviewed.

The languages are divided into different departments and the contact numbers and office addresses can be found in the following links.

For Russian and Bulgarian, you need to contact the Department of Slavonic and Finno-Ugrian Studies.
http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=slavonic-finno-ugrian-studies

For French, Spanish, German and Italian, you should contact Department of Germanic and Romance Studies.
http://grs.du.ac.in/index.html

For Japanese and Chinese, Delhi University has the Department of East Asian Studies.
http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=east-asian-studies

2. Diploma/Advanced Diploma

Delhi University offers a Diploma degree in German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Romanian, Swahili, Pali, Tibetan, Modern Arabic and some European languages. In the case of some languages, you need to have passed a Certificate course for Diploma. For advanced diploma, a Diploma in the same language is mandatory. The admission process of these courses starts after the regular admissions and classes start from August.

The links for the departments of these languages are as follows:-

Department of Germanic and Romanian Studies- French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian
http://grs.du.ac.in/index.html

Department of Slavonic & Finno-Ugrian Studies- European Languages

http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=slavonic-finno-ugrian-studies
Department of African studies- Swahili
http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=african-studies

Department of Buddhist studies- Pali and Tibetan
For more details: http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=buddhist-studies

Department of Arabic- Modern Arabic
For more details: http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=arabic

3. Certificate Courses

DU also offers certificate courses for those who wish to learn a language beyond their main subjects. People can apply to any of these courses right after class 12^th. Graduates and post-graduates can also apply and the course lasts for an entire year. Several colleges in Delhi University offer these courses, some of which include Kamla Nehru College, Daulat Ram College, CVS, etc. The admission process of these courses starts after the regular admissions and classes start from August. You can study these languages even while studying another regular course at DU!

Vocational Courses

College of Vocational Studies offers around seven different vocational courses. Under each of these, you are provided with all the theoretical knowledge accompanied by industrial visits. You get rigorous training in the course you pursue and get a job easily right after graduating. The cutoffs for these courses range between 70-85%.

These are some of the courses that this college provides.

Tourism
Office Management and Secretarial Practice
Management and Marketing of Insurance
Small and Medium Enterprise
Materials Management
Human Resourse Management
Marketing Management and Retail Business

The vocational courses do not have any entrance tests and students are admitted solely on the basis of 12^th Boards percentage.
If you have time on your hands and wish to do something different, then these courses offer immense opportunities. People who wish to become an entrepreneur and start a business of their own or wish to become a proficient in a certain language should definitely enroll for any of these courses.

Image source http://traitdunion-online.eu

Sudisha Misra
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Top Picks

5 NGOs to intern with this summer

By Sudisha Misra April 2, 2015

This summer break, an interesting option would be to do an internship in an NGO. For anyone interested in non-profitable work in the future like fundraising, environmental conservation and so on, an NGO internship is a must as it provides you with the right experience and exposure. Keeping this in in mind, DU Beat got in touch with five NGOs any DU student can intern with, along with specific application guidelines for the same.

Child Rights and You:

CRY accepts internship throughout the year. They have an internship form which is available online. They’re looking for promising candidates who wish to work on various child rights related issues like child labour, health, and so on. Through this internship, volunteers are able to develop an understanding of child rights in India. They also learn researching, campaigning, networking and development work. The minimum amount of internship work is 4 weeks.

Internship form link-www.cry.org/resources/downloads/CRY-Internship-Application- form.doc
Contact– 91-11-29533451

Teach for India:

An organization that’s being run by the brightest young people of India, an NGO internship in TFI is worth a shot. Teach for India offers summer internship in several departments. These departments include Communications, Research work, Fellowship Recruitment, City Development, and so on. They’re looking for promising candidates with expertise in whatever department he/she wishes to apply. One can apply to Teach for India for an internship by sending them an email on [email protected] along with a resume and cover letter.

Internship description link– http://www.teachforindia.org/careers
Contact– 91-11-65658666

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF):

WWF accepts internship applications all year round. They have around eight to nine departments and the interns can apply to any one out of those. Some of the departments include Sustainability Livelihood, Centre for Environmental Law (CEL) , etc. Their internship programs help students accentuate their researching skills and in gaining expertise in the field of environmental conservation. For applying in any department except CEL, one needs to send them an email for the application process. For CEL, one must fill out the Internship form and along with a CV, two reference letters from Professors and a letter from the Placement Coordinator, send it to [email protected].

Link for internship form-http://awsassets.wwfindia.org/downloads/application_form_for_internship.pdf
Contact– 91 11 4150 4815

Human Rights Law Network (HRLN):

HRLN is a non-profitable organization which constitutes a group of lawyers working together to ensure justice to all. HRLN needs interns who are good at researching and writing. These interns will work with a senior advocate and are expected to work for at least four weeks. People who wish to apply for this internship should be good at interacting with everyone, meticulous and have experience in the legal field. For applying, one needs to send the application form, a recommendation letter, a writing sample and CV to [email protected].

Link for application form– www.hrln.org/hrln/Internship-form-for-website-New.doc
Contact– 91-11-24374501

Rahi Foundation:

Rahi offers internship in the summer break to all the college students. An organization that focuses on incest and child sexual abuse, the internship offered is in accordance with these issues. Students interested can fill the application form and send it to [email protected].

Link for application form– http://www.rahifoundation.org/contact.php
Contact– 011 26274041

Image Credits- ekjaa.com

SudishaMisra
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Arts & Culture

Delhi Trails: Finding fun in the financial hub of NCR

By Sudisha Misra March 18, 2015

Gurgaon: A perfect combination of a great nightlife, an exotic cityscape, job opportunities, shopping areas and a hub for theatrical, musical and other cultural activities. Despite its constant grappling with crime and electricity issues, Gurgaon has proved to be one of the most happening places in the changing Delhi scene. Here’s what this city offers:

Match Screenings

It’s India vs. Bangladesh tomorrow, on the 18th of March and the most appropriate thing is to enjoy it on a big screen. Indian Bistro Company is a great low-budget place to watch cricket matches. The relaxed ambience of the place and the experimentation with different cuisines attracts a lot of crowd. Other places that you can visit are Adda, Sports Ville Sports Bar and Lounge, Latitude and Soi 7 Pub and Brewery. People can also enjoy matches in the various malls across the city which have big screens and open areas.

Shopping

Gurgaon is a shopping hub despite the fact that it’s more expensive than most New Delhi markets. It boasts a series of malls that sell products of a diverse range of Indian and foreign bands. The ideal option is to visit these malls in the evening when life in Gurgaon actually begins. Ambience Mall, MGF Metropolitan Mall, DLF Mega Mall are the best places for shopping. One spot that is loved by nearly everyone is Galleria Market. It’s an open market having all kinds of shops that one is looking for including electronics, clothes, food and so on.

Amusement Places

If you’re looking for some recreational activities, Gurgaon is an ideal place to visit. One should definitely spend a day in Kingdom of Dreams- a leisure destination where theatrical and other cultural activities are conducted. It is located near Leisure Valley Park which is another relaxing place in Gurgaon. One should definitely go for paintball near Sec 31 HUDA Market. Other amusement parks are Aapno Ghar and Wet ‘n’ Wild. One can go for swimming and other fun-filled activities in these places. Bowling in PVR bluO and Ice-skating in Ambience are also recommended. Camp Garuda located in Khadarpur has a cool list of adventure sports to try out.

Food

If you wish to eat out, then visiting Cyber Hub is a must. Situated in DLF CyberCity, this is India’s first integrated f&b and entertainment centre. It has a wide range of restaurants, cafes and so on. One should definitely try Parsi food at Soda Bottle Openerwala. Al Zaitoon, Zambar, Olive Bistro, Café Delhi Heights, Farzi, Amici Café are other great places to eat out. There are diverse options in Galleria Market as well where people can go around and try out things in different cafés.

Live music

Gigstart organizes Live ‘n’ Local- an event that invites local bands to come and showcase their music. Delicious food is served and one can witness independent artists performing. Tomorrow’s event starts at 8:30 in the evening in Turquoise Cottage. The Yellow Bucket, an independent electro-acoustic band is set to perform.

Gurgaon should be your first choice if you’re looking for a day filled with fun activities and a nice, peaceful evening at a café enjoying some live music. It is an ideal place to visit for people whose heart lies in a metropolitan environment. Happy exploring!

Image Credits– www.dlfcyberhub.com, www.franchisebazar.com

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