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Vijeata Balani

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Mecca Day 2 began with the Street Play Competition that was organised by Ibtida, the Dramatics Society of Hindu College. The teams used puns and metaphors to talk about issues like politics, gender, and corruption in a hard hitting way. A total of 15 teams participated in the event out of which there emerged four winners. Natuve from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and The Dramatics Society of Sri Ram College of Commerce tied at the third spot while Dramanomics from CVS secured the second prize. The first prize was secured by Aayaam from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology. The competition was held at the Ibtida Lawns and generated immense attraction from the fest goers.

A host of other events were taking place simultaneously. Arpeggio, the A capella event organised by Aria, the Western Music Society of Hindu College saw soothing melodies at play. The event was adjudged by the esteemed judges Joshua Peters and Nisha. It concluded successfully with the winners being the Western Music society of DTU, Echo, the Western Music Society, and Western Music Society of LSR bagging the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions respectively.

Firestone, the western dance competition was organised at Mecca 2018 by Aramya, the western dance society of Hindu College. The auditorium was lit up with iridescent lights, colourful costumes, and up-beat songs like Swalla, Run The World (Girls), and O Oh Jaane Jaana. Every performance was ruthlessly energetic and made us move us move to the beats. Verve of Sri Venkateswara College was prized as the winners and Enliven of Gargi College was the runner-up.

Following this, Aramya, the Western Dance Society of Hindu College also organised the choreography competition. A host of engaging and mesmerizing performances with beautiful sequences were put up on display by the various societies. Each society put up a brilliant performance, making it extremely hard for the judges to select the top few. Sparx, the Choreography Society of Gargi College bagged the first spot whereas Terpsi Choreon from Hansraj College got the second position and Choreography Society, LSR bagged the third place.

You’ve Got Scale was the western Vocal Solo Event organised by Aria, the western Music Society of Hindu College. Christina A Dayal of Ramjas College bagged the top spot while Prabahan Shakya of Ramjas and Jannis Joe of JMC tied for the second position. The event was judged by Amartya Ghosh.

The Mecca Idol competition was held in the Hindu College auditorium and was one of the most anticipated events at Mecca 2018. A total of 108 people registered for the competition, out of which 30 were selected for the offline preliminary round which was held on day 1 of the fest. The finals were held on the second day of the fest, in which a total of 7 people participated. The third prize was secured by Sarat S Kumar while Shayan Chatterjee won the 2nd prize, both of whom sang Piya Tu Kahe Rootha Re from the movie Kahani. The first prize was secured by Sukriti Poddar who sang “Raina Beeti Jaye” from the movie Amar Prem.  The event was judged by Shubham Sarkar, an internationally acclaimed violinist and the youngest recognized Hindustani Classicalist. The winner of Mecca Idol, Sukriti Poddar would be opening the star night of Mecca 2018 on Day 3, right before Amit Trivedi’s performance.

The closing act and the most anticipated performance, DJ Zaeden called curtains to Day 2 of Mecca. He entertained the crowd with Bollywood as well as western songs like Shape of You and Attention.

Nexus, the annual cultural fest of Sri Venkateswara College was a three-day long affair from the 8th to 10th of March 2018. The fest saw a decent turnout despite being right after the mid-semester break. The three-day extravaganza began with a lighting of the lamp ceremony that was held at the college grounds.

Nirityangana, the folk dance society of Sri Venkateswara College, hosted Thirak, the folk dance competition. Disha Rawat, an eminent Kathak dancer, and Kalyani Behra, an Odissi dancer were the external judges while Professor Neeti Mehra acted as the internal judge. The competition saw colourful, energetic, and diverse Indian dance forms ranging from Bihu to Haryanvi. In the end, the members of Nrityangana gave a fun and power packed performance in which they incorporated sequences from every society’s performance. This performance was appreciated and applauded by all. Nrityakriti, the Indian dance society of Maitreyi College, bagged the first position in Thirak.

Razzmatazz, the western dance competition was the most popular event of the day. Organised by Verve, the western dance society of Sri Venkateswara College, the competition saw best teams from across universities strive for the first prize. Misba, the western dance society of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce bagged the top spot. Spardha, the western dance society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College got the second prize. While special mention was given to Zenith (Daulat Ram College), Inertia (Amity School Of Engineering and Technology, Amity University), Crunk (Sri Aurobindo College), and Western Dance Society (Lady Shri Ram College for Women).

The crowd at the fest was in for an eargasmic experience with Crescendo, the western A Capella competition. Pop songs like Feeling Good, Lolita, Toxic, Believer, and Hips Don’t Lie were performed. The event was judged by Kamakshi Khanna, a well-known singer-songwriter. Maintaining their winning streak, the western music society of Lady Shri Ram College won Crescendo, the A Capella competition hosted by the western music society of Sri Venkateswara College. Echo, the western music society of Jesus and Mary College came second.


The eventful first day of Nexus came to an end with a groovy performance by the Unplugged Band. The band enthralled the crowd with hit songs like Kabira, Gulabo, and O Mere Dil Ke Chain.

  The second day of Nexus, the annual fest of Sri Venkateswara College commenced on the morning of 9th March 2018, with several events around the campus. One of them was Goonj, the Indian classical group singing competition.  The seminar hall in which the event took place was given the necessary aura by being decorated with dim fairy lights. Eleven colleges enthusiastically participated in the event, including Kamla Nehru College, Hansraj College, Ramjas College, etc. Though the societies of each college filled the auditorium with great vigour with their voices, the highlight of the event was a special performance by the host team Alaap, the Indian music society of Sri Venkateswara College.

Anubhuti, the street play society Sri Venkateswara College, organised Madari, the street play competition. Natuve, the theatre society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (Morning) bagged the first position for their production titled “Depression, Let’s Talk”. DramaNomics of College of Vocational Studies won the first runner-up trophy, and the dramatics society of Lady Shri Ram College followed as the second runner-up. Kshitij of Gargi College received a special mention. Shilpa Marawaha of Sukhmanch Theatre was one of the judges.

Musician Haider Saif closed off the eventful day two of Nexus with his soulful Sufi songs that had the audience on the edge.

The third day saw the star night performance by Armaan Malik, which oversaw a huge audience in hundreds to witness him singing. He sang famous hit sings like Gulabi Aankhein, Kar Gayi Chul, and Vajah Tum Ho, among a plethora of other songs to which the audience grooved heartily. His closing act concluded a yet another successful Nexus!

 

Today, we celebrate the 91st birthday of the Gabo- the famous colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, and quite certainly, the most accomplished  author of the 20th century.

If one happens to randomly scroll through Gabriel García Márquez’s official website, the attention fortuitously falls on his quote about his magnum opus.  “The tone that I used,” says the author, “was based on the way my grandmother used to say stories. She told things that sounded supernatural and fantastic, but she told them with complete naturalness.” This allusion to the simplicity and matter-of-fact way of storytelling, with no ambitions of extraordinary, or any care for sensationalised fanfare, and an absolute unconsciousness of greatness and hence an indomitable hold to the self-directed, unpolished originality remained the crème de la crème of the author, starting with the first and the foremost One Hundred Years of Solitude which came in 1967 and continuing to the Love in the Time of Cholera and his later writings.

His writings have a significance, not just because of their “magical realism”, a term used by the academic critics to describe the writings of the likes of Salman Rushdie and Gabriel García Márquez, which basically is an umbrella term for the bombardment of the staggering metaphors and pathos which astound, but do not leave the hem of realism and kiss the frontiers of fantasy, but rather for the heart, the stubbornness to tell the tale in an own unique way, and the audacity and robustness of the grand epoch. For not all the authors dare to begin the novel at the point blank of the firing squad, and very few would then dare to follow the story of generations in the scope of a single average sized novel, and almost like the obsession of one of its characters to the chemical science and metallurgy, conjure alchemy to fuse the humanism on the cathode of  imagination. And only few in milleniums can then transpose this eccentric and mystical imagination, with the magic of their writings, on the very idea of survival through loss and One Hundred Years of Solitude. Such has been the greatness of Gabriel García Márquez.

Born in Aracataca, Colombia and raised by the maternal grandparents, as a little boy who wrote humorous poems and drew comic strips, he went on to pursue the law degree from the University of Colombia. Here, almost ironically, he was inspired by the the spanish translation of Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. He later turned to journalism but eventually pinballed to his destiny of writing. Leaf Storm was his first novella which was published in 1955, and eventually came the masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude, written every day over eighteen months. It was a major commercial success, with critics calling it the “Bible of Latin America” after it sold over 30 million copies. Rushdie called the novel “the greatest book of the century”, and William Kennedy attributed it as “the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race.”

The novel later led him to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972 among numerous others.

On the cusp of all the popularity and fame, García Márquez continued being the author that he was, a raconteur of simple tales of society, with a serene agreement with time and space, in spite of the longings, pains and sufferings. Though One Hundred Years of Solitude was the apogee, the following The Autumn of the Patriarch, Love in the Time of Cholera and Chronicle of a Death Foretold preserved and resembled the basic elements of his writings, the writings of our very own “Gabito”.

After all this time, his readership continues to be seduced by  “the charm of his fantasy, with the promise of a prodigious world where all one had to do was sprinkle some magic liquid on the ground and the plants would bear fruit whenever a man wished, and where all manner of instruments against pain were sold at bargain prices.”

 

Feature Image Credits: Paris Review

Nikhil Kumar

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In August 2017, Prakriti Sharma along with her teammates Raghav Shadija, and Ankita Grewal were declared as the Asia-Pacific Regional winners of GOMC (Google Online Marketing Challenge) – a renowned and coveted competition on a worldwide scale. They were felicitated at the Google Offices, in an all-expenses-paid trip to Singapore. We had a quick chat with Prakriti, where she told us the nitty-gritties of competition and her learning experience out of it.

Q1. What are you doing currently?

I graduated from Maitreyi College with a B. Sc in Physical Sciences. I was offered a job through college placements but I resigned within two months. In the meantime, I did freelance projects for clients of different levels in varied domains. I was also offered jobs from CVent, OYO, and other startups, but they didn’t pan out because I felt that I should not rush into another job and be patient. Later, I was offered a job at Gartner for the role of a Marketing Analytics Specialist, which I readily took. Being a fresher, this is the best opportunity I can get.

Q2. How did you come to know about this competition? How did you go about it, whilst managing college?

I got to know about this competition through regular Google surfing. I decided that I wanted to take part in this as I was interested in marketing, despite being a student from the science background. The competition was about Google Adwords, and understandably, it was necessary for us to study extensively. Since I’m very active on LinkedIn, I contacted the previous global winners of the competition and sought advice on how to choose clients and what kind of a business the client should be engaged in. Soon, we developed a strategy according to the finalised client, but because of this, we had to miss internals and classes, something which I was habituated to by then. (laughs)

After submitting a pre-campaign report with the background of the company, we were supposed to run a 21-day campaign on a limited budget. Since the semester exams were coming close, we had to manage exams alongside the campaign. Following an amazing experience of 3 weeks, we had to compile all results in a post-campaign report. It involved mentioning our strategy, weekly reports, results, how much were we able to fulfill, and our learning component out of the competition.

Q3. What was your learning experience from this competition?

I worked with people whom I had never known, and this opportunity was the biggest I’ve ever gotten. Since the platform was Google Adwords, we could not have gotten hands-on experience on it otherwise. We had to work and collaborate with clients and stay within a budget constraint.

It was an amazing experience where I put theory into practical use as I could point out the many loopholes in AdWords by the end of this competition. At the end of the first week’s campaign, we couldn’t fulfill our targets. But, we searched and devised our own optimization tricks and tiny things we would not have noticed otherwise, to get the results to vary drastically. Like this, we discovered many tricks and we finally achieved the desired result by the end, which exceeded our estimations by a huge margin. I’m now able to implement this concept and make sure of the loopholes in my freelancing projects.

Additionally, I’ve learned Facebook PPC and LinkedIn advertising as well, and now I’m involved in company branding. I realised my love for marketing because I tried my hand in so many related activities in my first year in college. Even in my job interviews, I was mainly asked about my role in the competition and the interviewers judged my resourcefulness and interpersonal skills, the campaign problems and how I overcome them.

Q4. How did DU help you in this experience?

In DU, I definitely got a lot of exposure in varied activities. I participated in an umpteen number of competitions and grew personally through every opportunity. If you are active, some teachers do support you in the process. I got to represent my college in a Himalayan conclave in the 2nd year,  that was funded by DU. I also founded a society called Vaigyanik in college to bring all the projects of science students under one umbrella. Many teachers questioned and resisted, but there were many at the same time who helped me and supported me despite my absence in classes. This number of opportunities is certainly not available in other universities.

Q5. Do you have any piece of advice for freshers?

Google has scrapped this competition, but AdWords digital training and video courses and certifications are currently available on the GOMC website for free. Many such online marketing and case study competitions keep happening, for which you have to surf on your own, as such provisions are not provided by DU. I would advise students to go for as many startup events, corporate conferences, and case study competitions as possible. It helps immensely if a student is active on LinkedIn and is able to network and connect, as it helps in personal branding and profile building. Summer schools are also a good option, provided the budget is sufficiently available for that. Subscribing to newsletters and websites can assist one’s search for international events and competitions on a global scale. It only helps if students keep an eye out for as many opportunities as possible.

Q6. How was your experience at the Google Office, Singapore?

We were invited to stay at Singapore for a week’s time in January, where we were felicitated with google merchandise and official recognition as the regional winners of GOMC. After the presentation round of our campaign reports and journey as a team, we were acquainted with the Google office and given umpteen office tours. Sessions were held, and we interacted with Google employees who had been working with Google for the past few years. Soon after that, we began with the much-awaited Singapore tour. All in all, It was a brilliant experience to be a part of.

 

Feature Image Credits: Akarsh Mathur

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Interview by Vijeata Balani

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This year’s fest season has started with a bang, and LSR’s Tarang, JMC’s Montage, and Miranda House’s Tempest have already raised the bar high for other fests to follow.

The coming fests are expected to be greater than ever, but can we say that about our fashion sense? If not, here’s a guide to help you bring the house down, wherever you go.

 

  1. Lush Life: This look is for the easy-going girls who are part-chic and part-hep. Pair black pants with a crossed blouse and block sandals and you’re ready to go. To add an extra flair of chic, wear pastel earrings, and a bold lip colour. If your outfit seems bland, by any chance, adding a pop of colour with a bag will surely be the icing on your cake. LushLife
  2. Back to Black: If this year’s Golden Globes taught us anything, it is that there’s nothing called too much black. If black is your aesthetic, consider this look tailor-made for you. In this look, we matched a Bardot top with ripped denim and ankle boots. Throw on an oblong scarf to take your look to the next level. Black is the new black, now and forever.Back to Black
  3. La Vie En Rose: This next outfit is a combination of numerous trends. Beginning with the trend of ‘slogan tees’, make a political statement at this year’s fest. Reclaim the chokers and pair them with white sneakers. It’s no denying that chokers and white sneakers were the biggest trends in 2017; almost every girl has them! An outfit like this is the perfect combination of sexy and comfort. LaVieEnRose
  4. Blue Jeans: The staple of any person’s wardrobe is blue jeans. Sometimes, it seems unbelievable how soviets spent their savings on getting a simple pair of denim jeans! Pairing your favourite denim with a crushed velvet top will make you look expensive. Don’t forget to accessorise with complementary coloured earrings.BlueJeans
  5. Mother Earth:  If you’re not a fan of bright colours, then earthy colours are your best bet. You can be in your comfort zone without stripping yourself of any colour. Overalls are a great option for fests. Pair them with your converse shoes, a maroon lip colour, your college bag and you are all set to go. Mother Earth

 

Pro-Tip: The key to dressing well for a fest is to take your everyday college look and to turn it around. Avoid wearing particularly uncomfortable pieces of clothing and just walk like you own the world!

 

Feature Image Credits: Tyler Joe

Raabiya Tuteja

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India is diverse in every aspect. The most pertinent facet of its diversity is the multitude of languages currently spoken in the country. With about 1652 languages spoken within its territory and 150 languages spoken by a sizeable population, it’s obvious that the same diversity can be observed within university spaces across India as well.

UNESCO observes International Mother Language Day on 21st February every year.  Local languages, especially minority and indigenous, are features of cultures, traditions, and various customs. In an attempt to protect the diversity of languages from globalisation, UNESCO observes this day worldwide.
As far as the University of Delhi is concerned, students flock from every corner of the country to Delhi to build a career. They carry their language and culture along with them into the University space which adds to the diversification in the academic ecosystem.
In past two decades, a lot of regional groups promoting their culture and language started mushrooming in the University campus. DU Beat reached some of such organisations to commemorate this day.
1. Delhi Odia Students’ Association: This group was formed back in the early 1970s with a motive of supporting Odia students coming to Delhi in pursuance of better education. They have been vehemently showcasing their language and culture by organising seminars and programs in regul intervals.
2. Bengali Literacy Club: This is a St. Stephen’s College based club which very actively takes up the discussion revolving around Bengali literature and movies. Other than the language, the club is involved in fostering intra-community bond by holding various social programs.
3. Maithry, Delhi University Keralite students association: The society has been doing an amazing working to ease the life of Keralites. They celebrate festivals together, especially Onam with great zeal. They create a portal for Malayali students for interaction with eminent Malayali personalities, and strive to stimulate a homely feeling for their students.
4. North East Student Union: This Union works tirelessly for students coming from the North- Eastern part of the county. They hold fests, seminars, and social events to promote their myriad languages and culture from the region.

Diversified languages and culture have been adding charm to the university space. These certain groups have ensured that outstation students get ample opportunities to speak in their mother tongue and extract warmth out of it.
This International Mother Language Day, let’s celebrate the diversity that India has been gifted with, which has subsequently got seeped into our University spaces as well.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Better India

Sandeep Samal
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DU Beat began as a dream. In a pre-Facebook world, there was no way for students to come together and talk about the issues that affected them, the issues that mattered. DU Beat aimed to bridge that gap. And with that small dream in mind, I founded DU Beat.

It was not easy. We faced resistance from everyone – teachers, students, political parties, the administration. No one knew who this new entity was, where it came from, and what it was trying to do. But we were the ones who wanted to talk about what mattered – education, fests, clean bathrooms, well-stocked libraries, healthy canteen food, healthcare in colleges, and many more issues without the pressure of political rhetoric.

We started from scratch, from nothing. The first publication was a Big Bang of sorts. The universe of DU Beat was infinite molecules coming together to form student groups that would focus only on the real issues. We thought college students must learn from the best and so we elicited writings from the best we knew – from William Dalrymple to publishing the last ever interview of Sabina Sehgal Saikia to Shashi Tharoor – we worked hard to get these diverse perspectives.

We engaged with principals, teachers, karamcharis, and students alike. All with a singular purpose – to evolve the student experience to the best it could be. We thought about the biggest problems facing students and brought about campaigns like ‘Dirty Loos’ to hold DU colleges accountable for the conditions of restrooms to writing stories about lack of healthcare to providing systematic knowledge about intercourse through the wildly popular Sex Amma column.

For me, the most inspiring idea behind DU Beat has been how it enabled students who had been involved to find their calling. From our first ever Head of Content and Head of Design running their own start-ups to subsequent alumni becoming investigative journalists, being featured in the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’, winning national awards, and attending Ivy League schools, DU Beat alumni conquer the world. We learnt at an early age what it meant to break the mould.

Education is important to attain abilities. It also teaches obedience, which often is not a helpful skill for innovation. The best innovators break the mould, look at life from a micro lens, understand problems, find solutions, and change the world. This has always been the main focus of DU Beat. To find passion, inculcate it, and excel.

Marx said, “Question everything”. This is the philosophy that propels DU Beat to constantly strive for brilliance, find cutting-edge stories, and bring news that is important and relevant to students week after week. Journalism is the fourth estate. Its role is to question the authorities and set notions and norms, and to bring to light new and better ways of life for students at every level. Over the last 10 years, DU Beat has committed itself to this standard of excellence. It will continue to do so for another 10 years. And 20. And 30. And 40. And on and on and on.

Happy 10 years! We have loved being a part of your lives. We hope you bring us the same love, care, and commitment, always.

 

Kriti Gupta
Founder, DU Beat

Feature Illustration by Sayanee Mandal for DU Beat

 

Dressing for an internship is nothing short of a challenge for a college student. The perfect balance between dressing according to ones age while also looking professional is something most people are unable to master. Read on to find out how to dress appropriately for your internship, based on where you are working.

An internship is a sticky sartorial situation: you have to look professional and put-together but maintain a college student’s style and budget. An internship, for most students, is the first step into the professional world. It is easy to feel lost in this new world and looking the part is a tried and tested way to feel more confident. Read on to find out how to navigate through the complicated world of dressing appropriately for work.

DRESSING FOR A HIGHLY FORMAL SETUP

While interning at an investment bank, a consulting firm, a government agency or a big-time company- In the aforementioned work environment, you will see a lot of people in suits. However, suits can be stuffy and look unnecessarily formal for an intern. Since you’re not a full time employee, you don’t need to walk around looking like Hilary Clinton every day. If you are buying a three-piece suit, ensure that you coordinate it with polished-separates and keep your accessories simple and professional.

Corporate Dressing while interning at a high-flying company like Ernst and Young. A pencil skirt or a pair of trousers in the summer, and an added jacket of bold color in the winter would add a pop of color without looking too garish. It is important to stick with simple cuts and solid colors, and not to go too crazy with the accessories. A neutral side bag and a simple watch to keep the bold jacket under control would look impressive.
Heels aren’t necessary to compliment your corporate image. Instead, remain firmly planted on the ground with a pair of loafers. Black or nude closed toe kitten heels are another comfortable and stylish alternative.

DRESSING FOR A SEMI-FORMAL SETUP/ BUSINESS CASUAL

Business casual styles of dressing are typically seen in office environments like that of marketing, public relations, management, advertising, education. Business casual can be tricky for new interns since there are no set guidelines to this dress code. In general, however, business casual can be understood as a slightly less formal version of professional dress.
Unlike in a corporate environment, a business casual dress code gives you the chance to display your personal style. But that doesn’t mean you can waltz into the office in your worn-out denims. Khaki’s and button downs paired with loafers or a formal dresses and neutral shrugs are safe bets that can help you ace the business casual look.

Business Casual Styles while interning with the media– For an internship in the field of journalism and the media, you need to be prepared for a fast-paced work environment in which you will have to deal with deadlines and researching. You can get the business-casual look by wearing something casual like jeans, and pairing it with something a bit more structured, like a tailored jacket in winters. For the summer, a simple white shirt worn in a relaxed state by keeping the top button undone or wearing a more casual knit tie with it, along with trousers or semi-formal skirts is ideal. What is also useful about this combination is that it can be elevated to business attire for a last minute meeting with the addition of a tie kept in your desk drawer and a blazer thrown over top. Flat sandals are acceptable but interns need to stay away from the rather informal flip-flops.
DRESSING FOR A CASUAL SETUP

Casual and comfortable clothing can be worn while doing research, working in start-up or while working with kids- With a casual dress code, you can wear denim, flats, and skirts, but it is not true that all the rules go out of the window. Interns would still need to keep their look polished if you they to be taken seriously on the job.

Casual work outfits while interning with NGOs- In such casual work environments, the focus is on your job and not your wardrobe, and you will probably be working long hours. However, casual doesn’t mean sloppy. A comfortable pair of jeans and a casual shirt or t-shirt would make you appear put-together for the job in summers, without appearing stuffy. In winters, the addition of a dark coloured lightweight jacket would make you appear ready to embrace the nuances of work that come with a casual-work environment.


Feature Image Credits:
 
MM LaFeur
Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
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According to recent reports, using social media for one hour everyday destroys one’s sleep pattern. This comes almost a month after a former Vice-President for user growth of Facebook claimed that social media is destroying the society and that he has tremendous guilt about it.

Social media is by far one of the most debated issues today. Heavily criticised for its potential for misuse and overuse especially by the youth, it is simultaneously backed for being helpful when used properly. Some time back, Science Alert published an article which stated that Chamath Palihapitiya, the former Vice-president of user growth of Facebook said that social media platforms had become a means to “rip apart the social fabric of how society works.”

This is not only a big statement, but also a clear proof that social media is destroying the society. It is notable to see how he mentions that tools such as likes or comments are “short-term gratifications” rather than meaningful communication. This statement reflects that social media platforms were created as a pass time or to serve the purpose of a pleasure-seeking activity. For our ancestors, the idea of being connected to people far away was a luxury and also an impossibility. More importantly, the rapid growth of communication through social media by the masses raises a major concern- the concern being that meaningful communication might soon be in jeopardy.

It is no wonder that social media is causing so many mental issues today- it is because social media has been manipulating something as sensitive as communication. In the same article, Lizabeth M. Kim, a doctoral candidate in social psychology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies conducted an experiment by showing a fictitious comment where one user confronted another for making a sexist comment. The reactions varied vastly between males and females.

Understanding that the reactions of people depend on the category of people the social post targets and the interpretation of the reader is a huge precaution we ought to take. It is extremely important that we put these two factors into consideration before concluding anything on social media. Talking about the caution for the claim made by Mr. Palihapitiya, there are two things we must follow. The first point is that we should limit ourselves from using “tools” such as likes. Furthermore, we should follow it up by communicating more without social media, ie. we should try and look for alternative modes of communication. Social media should never be accorded the  primary status, under any circumstances.

Feature Image Credits: Mashable

 

Karan Singhania
[email protected]

The Department of Political Science, Hindu College in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) has organised a two-day conclave christened ‘The Dancing Elephant: Perspectives on Indian Foreign Policy’, today being the first day.

At a time when the foreign policies of states are aligning and realigning based on the economics of interests and benefits rather than on ideologies, this conclave seeks to generate a broader conversation as to where India stands and perceives itself globally.

On the first day of the 2-day conclave, the event kick-started with the lighting of the lamp, followed by the welcome address by the Principal of Hindu College, Ms. Anju Shrivastava, in the auditorium of the college. Thereafter, the inaugural address was given by Anirban Ganguly, the Director of the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookherjee Foundation.

Session one started with the keynote address by Harsh V. Pant, Fellow and Head of the Strategic Studies Programme of the ORF. In the rather spirited discourse on the changing contours of Indian Foreign Policy, Pant made thought-provoking observations regarding how our international relations with other countries needs to be looked at with a fresher set of eyes. Besides asserting that India should stop being ‘a balancing power’ and should instead become a leading power, he also remarked that the aspiration of countries to align on the basis of ideological fixation is today gone. India, today, is ready to take help from any country, provided its security concerns are met. The idea that India’s priority is domestic consolidation was very subtly put forth in Pant’s speech.

Post noon, a panel discussion was held on the most imperative question facing Indian Foreign Policy today: Can India Ignore Pakistan? Moderated by Senior Fellow of ORF Maya Mirchandani, the discussion was taken ahead with insights from TCA Raghavan and Sushant Sareen. The vibrant discussion ranged from topics such as the twin threats of nuclear warfare and terrorism from Pakistan to whether SAARC would be able to establish South Asia as a cohesive region despite the fractured relations between India and Pakistan.

In today’s global economy, when major powers are facing suppressive regulations for environmental concerns, how India transforms its economy is a big challenge. Shedding light on the apparently opposing nexus between economic growth and equitable sustainable development, the next session was a dialogue on how India will galvanize a development model by managing the workforce disparity, energy security, and its natural resources.

Post lunch, the enterprising discourse was taken ahead by a panel discussion on non-alignment and Nehruvian idealism and whether these ideas still have relevance in the current scenario where the world has increasingly moved towards multi-polarity. Moderated by ORF Fellow Abhijnan Rej, the discussion was enriched with perspicacity from Diplomatic Editor of The Hindu, Suhasini Haidar, and Member of Parliament Swapan Dasgupta.

Wrapping up an eventful first day of the conclave, most students found the same highly enlightening, especially the International Relations enthusiasts.

Today, we’re looking at a very different get-political scenario than what was prevalent a few decades back. As we move ahead with higher education, some of the textual learning might not be very effective in helping us gauge India’s foreign policies. That’s why, it becomes important to engage in these events where students get first-hand knowledge from diplomats and distinguished people who themselves mould our nation’s foreign policies.

 

Feature Image Credits: DUB Archives

 

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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