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Daulat Ram College

Daulat Ram College Organises Annual Sports Day

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The day before Manjari, the annual cultural fest of Daulat Ram College, saw a Sports Day be conducted. It started off with the entry of the chief guest, Dr. Kuljeet Kaur, who is an athletics champion and alumni of the college, and the Principal, Ms Savita Roy. A round of felicitations then took place, with the chief guest, the Principal, and the organising teachers being recognised. This was followed by recognition and appreciation of the students who excelled in the previous Sports Day. Their hard work was applauded while they were received by a warm welcome from the crowd.

The actual event was an exciting affair, with wide participation from not only the students, but also the teachers. Most surprisingly, even the Principal took part in a couple informal events, which truly lent an element of fun to the occasion. Some of the races included classic favourites such as frog race, spoon race, and three-legged race. Such events brought everyone back to their elementary school days, when these races were the highlight of the school year. Apart from this, there were the usual formal sports events. These included distance races such as the 100m race, long jump, and so on.

Once the competitive events were concluded, there was an awards ceremony where all the winners were presented with their prizes. All in all, the day concluded on a note of laughter and excitement, and got both the students and teachers all hyped up for Manjari in the consequent days. It was a successful event that left everyone with a high.

Feature Image: Daulat Ram College Cricket Team

Vineeta Rana
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Campus Central

The Impending Aftermath of the Fest Season

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The even semester of University of Delhi is always jam-packed with a variety of events for students, most notably college fests. Our correspondent warns you about the post fest season blues so you know what to expect when you experience these withdrawal symptoms.

The buzz around fests in Delhi University begins as early as the New Year. The fests end sometime in late March, leaving students to face the reality of college and life after they have successfully escaped it for half a semester. In this scenario, the withdrawal symptoms that result from the end of the fest season can be all-consuming.

Fests give us the opportunity to get out of our own college and wander to others’ without feeling guilty about wasting our time. After all, the celebrities only come to star nights once a year, and it’d be blasphemous to miss out on seeing them perform our favourite Bollywood songs and EDM mixes. The problem arises not when we start missing our classes to attend popular events like Western Group Dance at a fest, but when we start thinking it is okay to do so on a daily basis. Once we’ve fallen into the trap of skipping classes and travelling to far away colleges just to investigate their food stalls like true critics, it is practically impossible to get out of this rut.

Couple this with the fact that with the end of the fest season comes with a torrent of internals and assignments, all to be submitted within days of each other. Not only this, but the semester exams seem to be closer now than ever, with only a little over a month of college to go before prep leave begins. Professors start revising their syllabi, and we’re still left wondering what the topics on our exam are.

The post fest season blues especially take a toll on our mental health as well. After weeks of attending events and experiencing that adrenaline rush, returning to mundane life can be depressing and heartbreaking. The mid-sem break acts as a buffer in this sense as we have a chance to come down from that high and brace ourselves for the regularity of college. It also gives us one last opportunity to party our hearts out, which was made possible even more so this year by the occasion of Holi at the start of the break.

Here’s to wishing you had the best for this last week of fests before the return to our standard DU lives!

Vineeta Rana
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Cultural Festivals

Highlights from Lady Shri Ram College’s Tarang 2017

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Tarang 2017, the annual cultural fest of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, was the first in a list of University of Delhi fests this year. One of the biggest extravaganzas in DU, this year’s three-day fest took place over the weekend of 3rd to 5th February. The event saw an impressive celebrity lineup, as well as a number of society-specific competitions and programmes.

The college campus was fully decked with decorations from the fine arts society, Hive. With this year’s theme of ‘redefining rhapsody’, quirky art pieces such as treasure chests and innovative exhibitions of wheels and umbrellas were an eye-catching start to the fest. The vibrant atmosphere provided an unmistakeable aura of energy to the campus.

Some of the major events that drew huge crowds were organised by the music, dramatics, and dance societies. On Day 1, a non-competitive stage play event, Yavnika, allowed teams from five colleges around Delhi to showcase their annual productions, without any pressure of winning.

Izzaz,the choreography group dance competition led the audience enthralled by the skills of the dancers and the concepts behind the performances. The first prize went jointly to Gargi College and Hans Raj College, while Kirori Mal College bagged the second position

On Day 2, A Cappella – Pitch Please entertained the audience with contemporary arrangements of popular songs by Coldplay and Twenty One Pilots. Kamakshi Khanna, a renowned artist, was one of the judges for this event. The western music societies of Gargi College, Jesus and Mary College, and Hans Raj College came out on top.

On the final day of the fest, the ever-energetic nukkad natak or street plays were performed non-competitively, in the same spirit of the stage plays. Issues such as casteism and child abuse were brought into the open by the bold scripts and acting of the participants.

Perhaps the most awaited event, Baila, the western group dance, had the entire auditorium packed and buzzing with energy. Maitreyi College emerged victorious, while Jesus and Mary College and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce came second and third respectively.

Apart from these major events, there were also various side events that drew participation. These included musical interpretation painting, slam poetry recitation, parliamentary debate, quizzes, and mystery rooms, along with an Alice In Wonderland themed exhibition. There were also beatboxing and pottery workshops, as well as a number of exciting stalls for hair braiding and temporary tattoos. The variety of eatables available was truly a treat for all the foodies at the fest. There was never a moment to waste at LSR as a plethora of events going on simultaneously provided both excitement and entertainment.

The star nights on all three days were busy affairs. Prateek Kuhad brought the first night to an end with his soothing voice and acoustic compositions.

In contrast to this, the second day saw Anish Sood get the crowd jumping with an EDM show. On the final day of the fest, Kenny Sebastian had the audience in splits with his relatable jokes and casual manner.

He was followed by Lucky Ali, who concluded Tarang 2017 with an enthralling performance of some of his biggest hits.

All in all, Tarang was a magnificent start to DU’s fest season of 2017. Starry pro nights and dynamic events, coupled with the energy and vibrancy throughout the three days added up to an unforgettable fest.

 

Image Caption: Lucky Ali serenading the audience at Tarang 2017
Image Credits: Alex Arthur

 

Vineeta Rana

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Bazinga

University of Delhi to Reward Colleges with Top Fests

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Bazinga

The University of Delhi recently announced that colleges with the best fests his season will receive grants in the form of financial aid and higher NAAC rankings.

 

 

On 20 February 2017, the University Grants Commission (UGC) revealed that DU colleges must put in their best this spring as the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will now also rank the annual fests of each college. This notice comes in light of University authorities realising that immense effort, both by students and teachers, goes into making the fests grand and entertaining for the student community.

The motivation behind rewarding colleges with the most successful fests is to promote the culture of commitment and hard work amongst students. An official of the UGC, Mr Sankalp Bharti, stated, “The students do excellent work around the year, but they are at their best during the fest season. We want to reward this behaviour. DU fests are just like DU academics – both require months of preparation.” While most students probably disagree with this comparison, it’s no secret that the students’ unions of colleges spend weeks in stress, ensuring the highest level of entertainment possible.

The UGC stated that it will give financial grants to colleges that have the best fests so as to provide the colleges and students with the incentives to conduct similarly successful fests in the future. DU is popular for its fest culture and draws huge traction as a result of star-studded evenings and celebrity performances. To maintain this reputation, the UGC has also added the likelihood of an increased NAAC rating for the colleges that come out on top this fest season. The college authorities often care more about external official rankings such as those of NAAC as opposed to providing the students with a memorable fest. For this reason, the UGC has decided to use NAAC as an incentive for better fests.

According to the notice, fests will be rated across a number of criteria. These include the audience turnout, the number of sponsored stalls, the total amount of cash prizes for all winners of the fest, and the amount paid to the star performers. A holistic analysis of all these parameters will then reveal which colleges qualify to receive their reward. While the details are yet to be finalised, there are already rumours that out of the top three colleges which will receive financial grants, the institution on top will receive an automatic A in the NAAC rankings. With regard to the fests that have already taken place this year, such as Tarang, Reverie, and Montage, the UGC officials reassured that they will take into consideration that these colleges were unaware of the new rule. Mr Sankalp Bharti stated that these fests will not suffer unfairly, and that they will be judged according to more relaxed criteria.

Let’s see whether the new move by the University will increase fest standards. Good luck to the upcoming fests!

 

 

Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is only to be appreciated and not accepted!

 

 

Image Credits: DU Beat

 

 

Vineeta Rana

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Daulat Ram College

VICHAAR 2017: A Two-Day Conference by the DebSoc of Daulat Ram College

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On 11 and 12 February 2017, the debating society of Daulat Ram College organised Vichaar, an Indian youth parliament. This was the inaugural edition of the conference, which took place after nearly four months of intense planning and commitment.

The conference simulated a number of committees, from conventional ones like the Lok Sabha, the Chamber of Princes, and the Research and Analysis Wing, to the highly specialised and unexpected Akbar’s Court of Navratnas. The esteemed executive board that conducted the discussions in the committees allowed both experienced debaters as well as newcomers to learn more about contemporary issues and find viable solutions to them. The various agendas that were the points of deliberation were in reference to sedition, the integration of India at the time of Independence, terrorist attacks, and unified religion. The variety of opinions and the characterisation of delegates as parliamentarians truly added to the dramatic and enjoyable nature of the conference.

The weekend was vibrant with delegates dressed up as their portfolios in traditional Indian attire. While the college buzzed with excitement and anticipation for the beginning of the event, the opening ceremony gave everyone a glimpse of the executive board and the organising committee. As the Founding Secretary General, Shubhi Vadehra, stated, “The motivation to organise the simulation of Indian committees came from our daily lives being hugely impacted by national issues. Any law that is passed by the government affects an affluent businessman as well as a village farmer immensely. We plan to provide the participants with the ability to work on such issues and respond to national concerns.”

This goal was duly achieved as both delegates and the executive board agreed that the committees were prolific and the conference was a rewarding experience. The end of the event saw resolutions passed in committees as solutions to the concerns that were raised. The closing ceremony included prizes being given out to the best delegates as well as the executive board being recognised. The heads all talked about the conference being a success and about fruitful debate taking place. Finally, the debating society as a whole surprised the Secretary General, who is also the society President, with a small memento. The two-day extravaganza concluded with a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment for all parties involved. The first edition of Vichaar is only the beginning of a legacy for the debating society of Daulat Ram College.

Image Credits: Indian Press, Vichaar

Vineeta Rana

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Kamala Nehru College

The Underwear Debacle: Kamla Nehru College Disqualified For “Vulgarity”

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Lakshya, the theatre society of Kamala Nehru College, was recently disqualified in the Mahavidyalaya Natya Samaroh organised by the Sahitya Kala Parishad. Lakshya’s annual theatre production, “Shahira Ke Naam”, is a play that revolves around college girls who live their life to the fullest. Naturally, the play involved a few simple words to describe women’s underwear. At the end of their performance, an announcement was made to inform the participants that morality must be maintained in the plays. It was after this that the society was informed that they were disqualified.

The students wondered if the disqualification was because they had used a few swear words. However, other teams had used many more vulgar words. Eventually, they were told that it was because of their use of words such as “bra” and “panty” that they had been disqualified. The Sahitya Kala Parishad stated that such words were acceptable in a girls’ college, but not for a public performance viewed by families. The problem with this is that there were a few other plays which also used questionable language, which was arguably more offensive – misogynistic and casteist.

Such backlash for merely mentioning women’s underwear was called out by the students of the society as well as their convenor. Soon, the news began to spread and theatre societies of other colleges, as well as the general student community shared their own views in support of the Kamala Nehru students. For instance, Rangayan, the dramatics society of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College said that “creating havoc out of the usage of these terms and their portrayal is archaic and abnormal”. Dilgrace Kaur, Vice President of Lakshya stated that the Sahitya Kala Parishad had come under fire before for similar reasons.

When the news reached the organisers, they claimed that the society was not disqualified, but would only lose marks for offensive language. Monami Basu, the teacher convener of the society said she received a call from Kapil Mishra, the Minister of Water, Tourism, Art, Culture and Gurudwara Election. He said he would ask the Sahitya Kala Parishad to neither disqualify nor deduct marks for the performance.

On 31 January, members of Pinjra Tod protested against the misogynistic decision off the Sahitya Kala Parishad. They hung bras in the Shri Ram Centre, where the performance had taken place. Somaya Gupta, one of the protesters, said that “it’s high time that people start normalising things such as women’s undergarments” and that the protest was not “just about the disqualification, but about prohibiting conversation even in a cultural space”.

It remains to be seen what the Sahitya Kala Parishad and other conservative organisations will take from the students’ attempts to fight this misogyny. As Monami Basu said, “If it titillates you, it is your problem. We reject your pretentious hypocritical propriety.”

 

 

Image Credits: The Hindu

Vineeta Rana

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Cultural Festivals

Annual Cultural Fest of LSR: Tarang ’17

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lsr annual fest 2017

The last day of the annual cultural fest of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Tarang, created mass hysteria with the exciting events going on simultaneously in different parts of the college premises. ‘The Battle of Bands’ began with rock bands from different colleges where the Hindu College Collective from Hindu College, University of Delhi emerged as the winners. They were followed by the Asteroids and the Loose Puppets in second and third place respectively. In the event ‘Sangam’, the Indian choir competition, Swaranjali of Hans Raj College bagged the first position, followed by Alankar of Hindu College and Samranjini of Gargi College. The nukkadnatak or streetplay event was attended by the dramatics societies of various colleges from all over DU with fascinating scripts. Issues such as casteism and child abuse were discussed. It was a non-competitive event, but the amphitheatre remained crowded with the frenzied audience. Baila, the western dance competition mesmerised the crowd with amazing performance, such as those by Maitreyi College who were declared the winners. Participants of Jesus and Mary College and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce bagged the second and the third positions respectively. Saaz, the Indian duet competition entertained participants for where Daulat Ram College emerged victors, followed by Kirori Mal College and Hans Raj College.

In addition, there were other events such as ‘Story Telling Competition’ by Elocution, Still Life Painting, and ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’, of which the latter was inspired by the classic novel Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and was presented by Hive, the fine arts society of LSR. Workshops like those of beat-boxing and modern calligraphy, as well as mystery rooms were also conducted. Students of colleges from all over both DU and other universities participated in these events.

The scrumptious food stalls, footwear stalls, jewellery stalls, and candy stalls drew the crowd but the most attractive events of the last day were the performances of stand-up comedian Kenny Sebastian and indie-pop singer Lucky Ali. Kenny’s jokes hit the audience’s funny bones and the crowd exhorted throughout. Kenny took over the guitar, presenting his funny lyrics along with melodious tunes and tickled everyone till they let out boisterous laughs. Lucky Ali with his evergreen voice and his classic hits of the last two decades made sure that his fans were satisfied with his style of performance and the songs. He sprinkled the show with his major hits such as those from Kaho Na Pyaar Hai as well as some non-commercial indie songs.The festive merry feeling in Tarang 2017 throughout all three days was the best way to begin with the season of fests in DU with massive participation of students from colleges all over India.

 

Image Caption:Tarang 2017 comes to a close after three days of immense extravagance

Image Credits: VibhanaKanwar for DU Beat

 

Radhika Boruah

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DUB Speak

The ‘Nasty’ Women’s March

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The day after Donald J Trump’s inauguration saw millions of men and women not only in the United States, but around the world, protest against his power by staging the Women’s March. Organised several weeks in advance, its initial intent was to be a street protest in Washington DC. However, the outrage over Trump coming to power led to the mass organisation of such events in most major cities around the US, as well as solidarity marches in other parts of the world, from Jordan to Antarctica.

For anyone with access to any form of media in the past year, Trump’s election has been a highlight. His unabashed insults directed at anyone who was not a cisgender white male have left most of the world reeling. When the popular vote was very clearly in Hillary Clinton’s favour, but Trump still managed to come into office, such disdain by the population was to be expected. The masses descended onto the streets for a range of demands, such as reproductive rights, access to healthcare, and immigration reforms. Nevertheless, the marches around the world, which were filled with ordinary citizens as well as a range of celebrities, were critiqued on the basis of their futility.

The Women’s March at Washington DC
The Women’s March at Washington DC

No popular movement is free from criticism, especially from cynics who accept power relations as a given. This becomes a point of concern when democracy, a basic structure of society, is undermined by this cynicism. Protests have become legitimate sources of change throughout centuries of civilisation, in the same way that people’s awareness about their social and political culture has changed in recent years. Basic rights such as the right to vote or national sovereignty were only achieved through dissent. In a global society where right-wing policies are on the rise with the manufactured consent of the masses, such shows of widespread dissent are not only a boon, but a necessity. These methods empower the disenfranchised and pave the way for a more inclusive and self-aware society.

As individuals, we often feel powerless when we are engaged in a conflict with the state. However, it is essential to remember that the state is influenced by us in many implicit ways. We may face backlash from those who believe that simply marching will do no good, but we can be sure that even someone as egotistical and self-righteous as Trump is unsettled by the masses at his doorstep. When we are proud to be the “nasty women” that Trump accuses us of being, we are, in effect, robbing him of the power to rule us. He will govern us and force us to bury our aborted foetuses, but he will not make us believe that this behaviour is acceptable.

Feature Image Credits: Metro UK

Vineeta Rana

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DUB Speak

Resolution 2017: Productivity Maximisation

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The winter slump can be a dangerous addition to our college lives, especially when we are already experts in the art of procrastination. It feels impossible to get out of our blankets for early (or any) morning classes, and we manage to come up with a number of justifications for our behaviour. However, the sad truth is that we must overcome these very real challenges in order to fulfill one of the most common new year resolutions – to be more productive.

Here are some tips to give your productivity a boost in 2017:

1.Get out of bed
Getting out of bed is the first (and possibly the most significant) hurdle we face this time of year. However, the only way to get work done is to get out of bed, and that is simply a mental determination that you must work on. Take it one day at a time, and start out slow. You’re allowed to skip a few morning classes initially, but get your body used to waking up in the cold by transitioning to waking up a little earlier each day. Practise makes perfect!
resolution-2017-productivity-maximisation-1

2.Switch it up
To be productive, it’s imperative to keep a track of all your different responsibilities. While some days can be wholly dedicated to one task such as cleaning your room or reorganising your bookshelf, it often gets difficult to maintain a steady level of productivity with a mundane lifestyle. Add some variety to your days by mixing up different small tasks to accomplish instead of sticking to one for a lengthy period. Also, look at new ways of completing these tasks. For example, if you come across an interesting topic in your college course, try watching some animated Youtube videos on the topic instead of reading a mundane Wikipedia article to enhance your knowledge.

resolution-2017-productivity-maximisation-2

3.Make a checklist
There is no greater satisfaction than striking off something on your to-do list. At the start of the day, or at the end of the previous one, make a list of what you plan to do that day. Having a list will give some direction to your day, and force you to face your responsibilities when they are written on a piece of paper or an electronic screen in front of you. Then, when you’ve taken care of a task, you can strike it off your list, and see the result of your hard work in tangible form. This is a great motivating factor to accomplishing even little mundane tasks such as responding to some emails.

resolution-2017-productivity-maximisation-3

Incorporate these strategies into your daily life bit by bit, and watch your life transform as you finally get around to completing all those tasks that you’d been putting off since the last year.

Vineeta Rana
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Image Credits:
Feature Image – Lifehack
1 – Cassiefairy
2 – PBS
3 – The Wine Curmudgeon

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DUB Speak

Peeking out of the closet

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What does Karan Johar’s subtle coming out mean for us?

Karan Johar’s newly released “An Unsuitable Boy” has sparked a conversation about sexuality and privacy in India. Our correspondent tells you how the celebrated director’s autobiography has already impacted the LGBTQ, and otherwise mainstream, Indian society.

The widely publicised release of “An Unsuitable Boy”, Karan Johar’s autobiography, has been accompanied by all sections of society weighing in on Johar’s sexuality and his expression of it. In his own words, Johar states, “Everybody knows what my sexual orientation is. I don’t need to scream it out. If I need to spell it out, I won’t only because I live in a country where I could possibly be jailed for saying this. Which is why I Karan Johar will not say the three words that possibly everybody knows about me.”

Here’s what this means – Karan Johar is gay. Karan Johar will not explicitly state that he is gay. The chances are that many of us who have grown up watching Johar in the public light are not surprised by this ‘admission’. However, while we may be appreciative of his candor, many of us are still disappointed by his lack of explicitness. We place an extraordinary amount of responsibility on Johar to use his platform to raise awareness about LGBTQ issues in as oppressive a society as India. His status as a Bollywood veteran even provides some level of protection and support that many of us fail to identify in our daily lives. As such, surely he owes it to his most ardent followers, and perhaps more importantly, to the thousands of closeted citizens of India, to come out more eloquently and remove the stigma around sexual minorities.

The problem with this assumption and expectation lies in the simple fact that despite his fame and prosperity, Johar is only human. Sure, he may have a voice and the ability to give confidence to people in India who are still struggling to come to terms with their sexualities. And while it is understandable, and even acceptable to some extent, to expect him to “say the three words”, he deserves the same level of privacy that we would expect in our daily lives, away from the limelight. At the end of the day, his sexuality and his expression of it are both his choice alone. Pressurising him to be overtly gay is no better than heteronormative society pressuring him to be straight. Perhaps one day he’ll feel safe enough to declare his sexuality without the fear of law. Until then, we can only appreciate what he has chosen to share with us now.

So if you catch yourself judging him while reading his latest, take a step back to think about the courage he mustered to reveal his sexual orientation at all, and then cut him some slack for only being human.

Feature Image Credits: Blog to Bollywood

Vineeta Rana
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