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Recalling the Influence of Harry Potter This Anniversary of Battle of Hogwarts

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On 2nd May 1998, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were seen destroying horcruxes and avenging the evil that reeked through Voldemort. It’s been twenty years hence, and it still seems as though this sequence of events is taking place right now. As we lament the deaths of those characters who faced an untimely end, today marks the anniversary of one of the greatest moments in the Harry Potter universe.

It would be an understatement to say that the Harry Potter series has inspired me and a million other children across the globe – an entire generation has grown up immersed in the wizarding world’s shenanigans. This is the same generation which has ever so patiently been waiting for their Hogwarts acceptance letters to arrive, has thrived on every piece of trivia supplied to it through Pottermore, and has taken multiple quizzes to find out which Harry Potter character they were. This is the Harry Potter generation. A generation that consists of people of varied ages, races, and countries with an equal and undying sense of loyalty towards the books.

I can proudly affirm to the fact that I belong to this generation, and that Harry Potter taught me lessons that no teacher could teach me patiently. The books were those comforting friends that helped me steer my way through middle-school crushes and high-school heartbreaks, through the rough times in friendships and all personal lows. Those of us who grew up reading this magical series, spent months waiting for the next movie in the franchise, and re-read parts from Snape’s memories on the days when we felt like crumbling in our own living hells. J.K Rowling weaved an entire universe of intricate details and complex characters that it’s compelling enough to forget our mundane problems for a long while.

The first book in the series taught me that it’s alright if you disagree with your friends, like Neville stood against the trio. It taught me that it’s okay to be yourself and embrace your uniqueness like Luna Lovegood. The seventh book taught me that the hero might not always be the knight in the shining armour, and the fifth Book taught me that every great personality started from a place we are at now. As each day passes, there’s something new that I learn and connect from each of the books, which is why this list is inexhaustible. If I were to write down all the lessons I gathered, no thousand-page thesis could ever do justice.

Bhavya Banerjee, an avid reader of the books, shared her story, “Harry Potter has been much more than just a story for me. It gave me another universe where I could exist and grow up with all the characters. Hermione taught me to find a friend in your books. Ron taught me it’s okay to prioritise food over people and Harry taught me how to bounce back from mistakes. Harry Potter has essentially been a very important influence in my life.”

Vineeta Rana, another potterhead in Delhi University, sat up excitedly when I asked about her learnings from Harry Potter. She said, “Harry Potter has taught me the value of friendship. The books taught me the importance of staying loyal to your loved ones, and that anything is possible in Hogwarts, provided you’ve got enough nerve.”

A million more stories like these and an equal number of lives shaped for the better, entirely on the basis of one brilliant mind and her idea of such a world.

Until next time, when we take a few minutes from our lives to acknowledge the beauty of those seven books, we can drink Butterbeer while re-reading about Voldemort’s obsession with a teenage boy, and lazily dream of entering the magical world through platform 9¾.

 

Feature Image Credits: Flickr

Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

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Events

AISEC Organises Youth Speak Forum 2018

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AIESEC in Delhi IIT, India organised an event by youth for youth, named Youth Speak Forum on 15th April 2018, Sunday. Held at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, it started at 10.30 am with over 300 students from different colleges and academic backgrounds from across Delhi. It was organised by the youth for youth, and aimed to create a space for meaningful and #inspirational conversations which would motivate the delegates to #engage by initiating relevant projects or campaigns and #act on the issues of the hour.
Youth Speak Forum 2018 was presented by Coca-Cola and involved major partnerships with The Lalit New Delhi and Krafted With Happiness. The panel included four prominent speakers included Rebecca Reichmann Tavares- Chief of UN Women’s Multicounty Office for India, Bhutan, SriLanka and the Maldives, Anjali Sharma – Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at Genpact, Prashant Parameswaran – Director of Marketing Strategy and Insights in India and South West Asia at Coca-Cola and Digital Gandhi – Author, Artist, Scientist, 7 Time TEDx Speaker, Brand Creator, Philosopher, Cause Artist, Storyteller, Presentation Expert. They spoke on youth-centric matters and pressing issues related to Sustainable Development Goals by United Nations.
Initiating conversations with people from financial, marketing, social and media industry, the event created a space to inspire. Although the event ended on a successful note, the real impact of the Forum could be measured when the delegates acted upon what they heard. To measure the extent of the same, #ActToImpact online campaign was initiated, wherein delegates were motivated to click pictures of the steps they take and post them with the hashtag.
AIESEC in Delhi IIT is grateful to every stakeholder who made this event possible.
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Admissions 2018

How to Prepare for DU JAT in Two Weeks

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With less than 2 weeks to go to DU’s Joint Admission Test (JAT), it becomes important, more than ever before, to plan a strategy to maximise your score. Many opt for coaching classes for this guidance, but it isn’t entirely impossible to crack these exams without coaching as well. Here is the key to scoring well in this notorious exam.

Around 40,000 students all over India appear for the DU JAT exam annually for merely 1400 seats in the three professional courses in University of Delhi (DU) colleges.

The cut-off of the entrance exam to proceed to the interview round in 2016 was 164 marks, and for 2017, a student had to score 230 above to gain admission in DU’s SSCBS.

  • Quantitative Ability

In the 2016 and 2017 JAT exams, maths of the 10+2 level was given considerable weightage. Topics like AP, GP, trigonometry, and algebra were abundant in the 2016 paper. Areas like Time-Speed-Distance, and Time and Work are also observed but the trend towards them has been discouraging. It is highly recommended to make educated guesses using the options, but if you’re not too sure and not confident in your accuracy, remember that the trade-off would be with 1 mark.

  • Current Awarness + Business Awareness

Do not indulge into the myth of coaching centres helping you improve your general knowledge. The probability of those general knowledge (GK) questions, as told in the said coaching, coming in the exam is very little as there is simply too much to remember. It is better to keep a track of the happeinings in the world. (as unwelcoming as this sounds, it is necessary. Sites like indiabix.com are very helpful aids.) Static GK questions do not enjoy a favourable position anymore unlike the past years. Business Awareness, on the other hand, has always appeared without fail. For the same, you could start off with memorising the taglines of important conglomerates and their founders and CEOs. Keeping up-to-date with mergers and acquisitions in the news front always helps!

  • Logical Reasoning

This is the most scoring and easy to attempt part. Out of 30 questions, be sure to attempt a minimum of 21 questions from this section, and the number should only increase in proportion to the level of easiness of the exam. Venn diagrams, distribution of data, and cubes and dices are definite questions that can be expected and are easy to attempt at the same time.

  • Verbal Ability

This section tends to be on the easier side but can be tough for those who are insecure of their verbal skills. Practicing reading comprehension under time restrictions can help improve speed. Vocabulary cannot be mugged up in such a short span of time, but skimming through past year papers can help you know what to expect.

 

Practice material for the maths and logical reasoning portions are readily available on the Internet. It cannot be reiterated enough, that students who are susceptible to getting stuck in questions should consciously avoid attempting the difficult ones.

It is also important to acknowledge that exam patterns are subject to continuous change and so is the criterion of admission prone to last-minute modifications. Over the last five years, DU has continually experimented with the parameters to assign a student his/her rank. In 2016, no weightage was given to board marks, and GDPI had a cumulative worth of 15%. In 2017, GDPI was discarded and board marks were reintroduced with 35% weightage.

Enrolling for coaching definitely helps, but it doesn’t guarantee you a seat, and the vice-versa also stands true. Now is the time to study hard and smart, and to plan for the remainder of your time well. Good luck!

 

Feature Image Credits: India T.V

Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

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Reviews

Film Review: The Shape of Water

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Hellboy director leaves us with a deep reckoning about what is true love and its manifestations. The film is also a story about the primal struggle between good and evil. It also underscores the importance of having a harmonious relation with nature and its patrons. But, most importantly, The Shape of Water teaches us how to love with carefree abandon, without fear and without malice.   Feature Image Credits: Forbes Sara Sohail [email protected]]]>

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Events

Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Addresses the Students of Maitreyi College

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Today morning, Maitreyi College played host to Dr. Sue Desmond Hellmann, the CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for an interactive session titled “The best piece of advice I didn’t take”. Students from various universities came to attend her first addressal with the youth in India. The session revolved around the issue of public health in India, and how the engagement of the youth can solve the problems plaguing society.

After a brief introductory note on the importance of health for the inclusive growth of society, the Principal presented Dr. Sue with a token of appreciation and invited her to talk to the large gathering. The luminary is an Oncologist and biotechnology leader, and has been named one of the seven most powerful inventors in the world according to Forbes, in addition to being bestowed with the honour of being the first female Chancellor of the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Sue began with explaining her journey of playing a role in the development of the first gene-targeted cancer drugs, and how she was approached by the Rockefeller Foundation to inspect the increasing cases of HIV AIDS in Africa, which had everyone puzzled. Along with her husband, the newly-married couple moved to to Kampala, Uganda to study this situation in 1989.

After narrating her personal account, she reinstated the importance of the youth in pushing forth a community driven change, and placed logical arguments in light of a country like India, where a large number of women continue to suffer from anaemia and face iron deficiency. She added, “There’s a common denominator if you want to make the world  better place, and that is women and girls.” Following her address, a Question-Answer round followed by, which had Dr. Sue answering brilliant questions raised from the students in the audience. She was highly impressed with the enthusiasm the youth showed, and sincerely hoped that the issue of public health in India can be resolved through a transformation in the society that is brought about by the youth.

 

Feature Image Credits: Ayush Chauhan for DU Beat.

Vijeata Balani
[email protected]

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Events

Button Mushrooms Releases Kachi Gali – Rang Desh Ke

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Button Mushrooms, an initiative by Delhi University Graduates released ‘Kachi Gali – Rang Desh Ke’, a slum redesigning event on the 17th and 18th of March. The event followed a motive to beautify a slum in Delhi, Sanjay Camp with paintings and murals to make it Delhi’s first artistic slum.

Kachi Gali, entirely sponsored by Shalimar Paints, was an attempt of the students and graduates of Delhi University to use their talent and passion to bring a change in the society. The event focused on merging the talent of the modern youth with the challenges of the country.

Kachi Gali, wholly a student initiative, aspired to use art as a catalyst of change. The event saw a participation of about 400 people and had been taken up in collaboration with more than 20 art societies and social service societies of Delhi University. The event, successfully covered about 700 houses, a school and 950 walls along with painting about 200 graffitis and paintings on the walls. The cause found its place in the hearts of the people who came forward to fill colours in their own lives with the help of young noble hearts.

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DUB Speak

Wakanda’s Fury: The Superhero Fever of 2018

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The release of Black Panther has unleashed a swarm of new definitions of the “new superhero”. Decidedly different from other Marvel ventures, the movie has been one of the highest grossing movies this year.

From ‘to infinity and beyond’ to ‘Flame on!’, everything has evolved. No longer do we have Buzz Lightyear coming to our rescue. We no longer search for “Hulk Smash!” collectibles – we have grown up and so have our superheroes.  Yet, once in a while we live to see Captain America swing his shield and Iron Man be just, pure plain genius. And of course nurse our dream of hanging on to Spider-Man’s suit someday. Yet, somehow, the tide has changed.

2018 has already proven to be a good year for superheroes. The Black Panther has broken boundaries everywhere, from stereotypes about typically white superheroes to big-budget films with an Afro-centric cast to being one of the highest grossing films this year, beating Deadpool last year by a huge margin. Lauding the film’s extraordinary box office success, host Jimmy Fallon mentioned how the film “crushed” the other films at the Oscars. Such movies herald the beginning of greater diversity in our films and hence a redefinition of our notion of “the man (or woman) who saved the day”.  Supported by an excellent cast (Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyongo, Michael B. Jordan) the film weaves together a richly vivid story of doubt, drive, and determination. What’s more, the fans have embraced the movie hungrily, precisely because it is shaking off the dusty old tapestry of white men in red capes.

Harshita Sethia, Miranda House student by day and Marvel ambassador by night, firmly says, “You don’t have to be a Marvel fan to watch Black Panther. You’ll love it anyway.” And therein lies the true value of the movie. While drawing upon a familiar cosmos of characters and technology, it moves away from the oh-so familiar over-the-top CGI and frenzied, power-hungry villains. It moves away from a black-and-white ending and from heroes that feel too good to be true. Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) are wonderfully complex, conflicted characters. We are thus confronted with a new superhero: one that is not so sure of himself but who is nevertheless aware and able to perform his duty. A star that doesn’t feel so unreachable. Ironically, we see the creation of a superhero who is not just visually ‘unconventional’, but one who is more human.

Wakanda is also a delicious backdrop to the movie, it’s tribes breathing in colour to the scenes. Tridisha Thakuria, confirmed Shuri fan, claims that she loved the film because the existence of strong, female characters in the film helped break stereotypes. Moreover, the extensive work on the setting, the location, the costumes made Wakanda and it’s people into living, breathing humans rather than mere two-dimensional illusions. There is no doubt that there is greater need for such movies that shatter the glass ceiling.

There is more to come for the fans this year. Deadpool 2 will bring the sarcastic, gore-hungry, and yet adorable hero back to the screens on May 18th as well as the classic ensemble of Avengers: Infinity War on the same day. Other movies lined up for this year includes Ant-man and the Wasp (16th July), Venom (8th October), X-men: Dark Phoenix (2nd November), Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse (14th December), Aquaman (21st December) and The Incredibles (15th June).

Feature Image Credits: Marvel

 

Sara Sohail

[email protected]

 

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Campus Central

DU Gender Sensitisation Cell Organises Panel Discussion on #MeToo Campaign

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The Delhi University Gender Sensitization Cell in association with Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) organised a panel discussion on the topic, ‘#MeToo campaign in the University’. The panelists included Ms. Ruchi Gupta, Joint Secretary of All India Congress Committee, Ms. Swaty S. Malik, Lawyer at  Delhi High Court, Ms. Smita Bharti, Social Activist and theatre director, and Ms. Subhashini Shriya, a member of Pinjra Tod Collective. The panel aptly delved into the need of a gender sensitisation cell in the university spaces and also discussed the policies and politics affecting the same.

The panel discussion started after the ceremonial lamp lighting by the panelists. Ms. Smita Bharti opened the panel discussion by highlighting the importance of campaigns like #MeToo, which has helped the society to progress to a point where women can discuss the violations of their rights or outrage of their modesty without any shame. Ms. Ruchi Gupta stressed on the need of mainstreaming and collectivising the issue of harassment. She suggested that the harassment issues should be a political issue and not just a social issue. Bringing the burning problem of harassment on a political stage will increase the accountability of sexual harassment. Proper leadership will be needed to politicize the issues in right manner. Citing the case of JNU, she condemned the way the administration and the JNUSU have been shielding the sexual offender, Dr. Atul Johri. Ms. Swaty S. Malik hailed the pro-women campaigns as the bold moves. Women have been conditioned socially to believe that they are responsible for harassments that happen with them, she stressed.

DUSU President Rocky Tuseed told DU Beat that, “The need for the Union to take this issue up on an institutional level was immense. We stand with the aggrieved students of Delhi University. All sexual harassment complaints will be taken up by us to make sure that the students have fair access to justice.

Narayani Anand, the convenor of DU Gender Cell told DU Beat that, “The fact that even the most famous women who live apparently protected lives, to those who brave the world at large every day, have been harassed, many even sexually abused – is the reason for us to make sure that this conversation never dies.”

When asked about why the feminist movement has been perceived as slow, Ruchi Gupta remarked, “A lot of us are not concerned about forming an alliance. We fee thatl when the individual can go to the court and file a PIL, what is the need of forming an alliance? But the truth is, the feminist movement cannot be fought in isolation. It has to be fought with other movements that are fighting against power imbalances in society.”
Speaking to the DU Beat correspondent, social activist Smita Bharti made an intriguing observation and asked, “How many of us are comfortable with the terminology ‘sexual’? How many of us know that staring or ogling in any form is a violation of our constitutional right? How many of us are aware that if is our right to be free from this kind of violation?” Responding to queries from DU Beat regarding the current state of women in the University, Subhashini Shriya mentioned some important statistical data, “We need to acknowledge that we have come a long way from the movement in the 1980s. Earlier, the student population of the Varsity consisted of only 12% women. The rest were men. Today, women consist of 48% of the student community of the University of Delhi.” When asked about the subsequent course of action for the #MeToo campaign, High Court Lawyer Smita S. Malik had expressed, “The storm of the #MeToo campaign had moved people into opening up on social media. But now, it is upon us to take this movement forward along with those who are not on social media.”

Rishabh Pandey, a student of Law Faculty welcomed such initiatives and told DU Beat that, “Gender sensitisation is the need of the hour and such panel discussions and seminars should be organised at regular intervals.”

Sandeep Samal

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Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

 

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Events

Maitreyi College Concludes Rhapsody 2018, its Annual Fest

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Student’s Union of Maitreyi College organised their annual fest, Rhapsody on 9th and 10th March 2018.
 
Parmish Verma, a popular Punjabi singer was invited to perform who came more than 90 Mins later than his scheduled time. However the cultural committee at Maitreyi kept a huge gathering of over 15000 students from across different colleges peacefully engaged with their filler performances.
 
The entire union along with the teaching and non-teaching staff of the college, supported by the police team including lady police, exhibited excellent temperament, perseverance and tenacity to manage law and order inspite of some unruly members in such a huge gathering who could only succeed in breaking some barriers but nothing beyond.
 
College managed the huge gathering very effectively and ensured safe dispersal of all students inspite of an abrupt and short closure of the professional performance by the singer after only about 30 mins.
 
Overall, the annual cultural event Rhapsody was a great success.
 
– Students’ Union, Maitreyi College.
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Events

The Entrepreneurial Board of CVS Organised its Entrepreneurship Fest, Negocio’18

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The Entrepreneurial Board (TEB) of College of Vocational Studies organized one of the most prodigious Entrepreneurship Fest of Delhi University: NEGOCIO, on the 12th and 13th of March. With the perspective and an aim of broadening our event plans, and with a vision of building a better foundation for the years to come, NEGOCIO 2018 was certainly a huge success.
The first day of Negocio 2018 started with two events: Best Entrepreneur and World Doomsday Forum.
In “Best Entrepreneur”, the participants were given a chance to showcase their entrepreneurial skills, through the course of which they faced struggles, which helped them discover whether they can enterprise or not.
WORLD DOOMSDAY FORUM was a challenge for the leaders of tomorrow, putting their decisive minds to test while determining the fate of humanity. It dared them to rise when it was all going down.
On the second day, we hosted the B-Plan Competition and an interactive Speaker Session.
The B-PLAN Competition was powered by Google, and was on PAN India level for the first time. It was a closed-door event, with a panel of 12 judges representing various venture capitalists, angel investors, incubators, accelerators, as well as successful entrepreneurs. The participants pitched their startup ideas to the judges, and judgments were made considering the feasibility, scalability, revenue model, presentation and innovation. Three of the eight startups were offered funding on the day.
Our interactive and fast-paced SPEAKER SESSIONS provided participants with tips, techniques and strategies for improving business communications and aiding naïve entrepreneurs. Mr Parveen Singhal (Co-founder and Chief Content Officer of WittyFeed), Evan Luthra (Blockchain and Cryptocurrency expert, investor and serial entrepreneur), and Onkar K. Khullar (Digital Gandhi) were some of the major speakers who came at NEGOCIO’18.
With another remarkable event, The Entrepreneurial Board of College of Vocational Studies has set a milestone in its history. With the motivation from successful entrepreneurs, a chance to interact with key speakers, and exploring their hidden entrepreneurial skills, it was indeed a memorable day for all.
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