Today, 43 years from its establishment, NSS is still going strong and this is only due to the unwavering commitment of its young volunteers. To celebrate this outstanding role of the program and the impact it has had on the lives of thousands of individuals, the NSS wings of Hindu College and Miranda House jointly organised a two-day festival called Umang.

The fest was arranged at the Lal Bagh slums near Azadpur and Hindu College premises on 26^th and 27^th of February. On the first day, the volunteers visited an MCD school in the slums. The children there were seen vibrantly participating in a painting competition and enjoying various game stalls that had been put up for them. They were rewarded with prizes and certificates to encourage their talent. The dramatics societies of Miranda House and PGDAV College provided educational entertainment for all present at the event through their street plays. Needless to add, the children were treated to some delicious food by the nurturing volunteers.

The day saw 200 volunteers from all over DU join hands to accomplish the mission of bringing joy into the lives of these children. Says Disha Ramanan, a member of Parivartan- social service society of Sri Venkateswara College, “ It was a beautiful experience, made even more special by the delightfully precocious children and dedicated organisers. I am proud to say that the day will stay with me forever.” All the volunteers were headed by the presidents of NSS Hindu and Miranda—Priyananda Singh and Vidhushi.

On 27^th February, Hindu College played host to book fair in collaboration with an NGO called Goonj. Complementing the showcase of books and recycled items was an exhibition of photographs that immortalised the work done by members of NSS in 2011. Later in the day, Dr. Vivek Sharma, a member of Gandhi fellowship society, had an interactive session with the youth of today. The fest concluded with some unique sporting events for the visually impaired. These included a kabaddi match, tug of war and a 100-m race.

“We would like to sincerely thank and congratulate all the volunteers for their ceaseless efforts. This is the start of a new culture and I hope it brings us closer to realising our motto—Not me, but you,” said Ishita Kumar, joint secretary of NSS Hindu College.

The Drama/ Street Play Society: Be it stage productions or street plays, the drama societies of every college no doubt add the colour to campus with their mind-blowing performances. Being part of the drama society also comes with long hours of practice at getting your act just right plus oodles of fun.
The Debating Society: Debaters are generally the ones you see in D-school (in North Campus at least) discussing politics, economy, philosophy or just how awesome the last tournament was. The ‘Debsocs’ require awareness of current issues, a grasp of logic, a willingness to learn and practice and an insatiable capacity for living it up!
The Film and Photography Society: These are the people you just can’t get hold of because they are busy watching, swapping, discussing movies or the ones who stumble all the time since they only see the world through their lens. All you need is a camera and a love for the motion picture!
The ‘Choreo’ Society: They revel in themes, songs and choreography. They dance till they drop [literally] and swear by the intoxication. If that’s your passion, then this society promises you a brilliant, jiving three years.

The Fashion Society: They are the budding fashionistas, adding the ‘oomph factor’ to any college and they demand the attitude, hard work, patience and a sense of style that is a must for anyone on the ramp.

The Indian/Western Music Society: All the jamming and singing which provides a lovely break from the monotony of classes is the Music Society. Knowing how to play an instrument, a good voice or just a finely tuned ear for music is all you need to be a part of these performers!

And there are more, just look closely on every notice-board you see. There’s something for everyone who loves panel discussions, the environment, MUNs, art…the list is endless!

Venue: Lady Sriram College For Women

DU is yet again coming back to life with the onset of the fest season and with less than a week left for the LSR annual fest TARANG, dance, music and drama have already infected the air around!! The inaugural fest of DU promises a series of the most engaging events which shall see participation from colleges across DU.

The fest is a three day long affair commencing on the 13^th of November. The  first day itself has much action in store ranging from the western music competitions to the classical dance competition, from the street play competition to the western dance competition. A literary marathon and Hindi poetry recitation competition is also lined up for that day. The Indian music competitions shall be held on the following day along with the much awaited and much attended choreography competition. The second day also includes a Hindi debating competition, an elocution contest and an English creative writing competition. An interesting contest is the script writing competition held by the WDC (Women’s development cell) on the same day. There will be the most thrilling rock band performances on the first two days of the fest. The stage play competition will be held on the final day along with the rangoli making contest, English debating competition, movie making competition, the quiz contest and the Ad mad event. The fest will conclude with the DJ night, which is generally the most sought after LSR event.

The fest season is finally here and the colleges are gearing up to battle it out. It will be interesting and entertaining to see who reigns! The dance, drama and music has just begun so unleash the excitement, anxiety and ecstasy.