Neocolonialism – The Debate
A Disguised Subjugation As far back as I can remember, we’ve been taught that India became independent on the 15th of August 1947. Recently, though, it became more and more obvious that formal independence and recognised sovereignty can hardly be equated with true freedom. If freedom is the absence of any external coercion, then India...
Independence Day Special
Books On Independence Day, la grande dame decided that this Independence Day issue would treat the day not only as some sort of day of reverence in honour of the country, but also talk about the liberated spirit. Two books that talk about absolute opposites in that sense are Train to Pakistan and 1984. Khushwant...
You’ve got an Audition!
At this time of the year, cultural societies of various colleges are busy conducting rigorous auditions to select for their society the best-suited freshers. Audition is usually a fun-filled activity involving a lot of healthy interaction between the freshers and the seniors. It not only helps the freshers know their college better but also enables...
And it Begins
DU Beat gets you the first impressions of some fachchas from Delhi University. Step one – Look Straight, Step two – Walk straight, Strep Three – Be confident. Step four – Forget it all and simply enjoy the experience. Despite my apprehensions, we were not ragged. As boring as it may sound, it was a...
Non-Violence or Non-Existence: A Matter of Choice
The twentieth century can best be defined as a century of extremes. Although it witnessed the World Wars, The Holocaust and Apartheid, it was also the century when the path breaking idea of non-violence was espoused, at least on a large scale. It was a century of tremendous churning, as the world shed several age-old...
Dear Diary: The Diary of Mel Gibson
Lord, what is happening to me? Where did it all go wrong? Something snapped in my head in the last decade and I can’t figure when. I had an appointment with a psychiatrist today, she diagnosed alcohol induced dementia. “You need to see a therapist”, she said, for the gazillionth time. So the other day,...
Delhi University at a Glance: Evolution of a Student
First Year First year in college is, as some already know and some of you will eventually get to know, unlike any other. You can feel it on your first day, when you realise that the first division your school was so proud of is shared by fifty other people in your class. Also, unless...
Courting Addiction
The first time I took drugs was after my XII boards, a year back. My friends took me to a place they knew, where drugs are sold cheap and in abundance. The first thing I ever smoked was weed, which I bought at Rs 50 per packet. Later, I moved on to smoking hash which...
Emoticon Dictionary
-Janhavi Mittal and Aina Matthew How many times have you sat around, scratching your head and wondering which emotion that bunch of brackets, dots and dashes is supposed to convey? With new smileys and rude-ys and disgust-ys and the like entering the cyber scene every other day, the time has come that someone devised a...
Brazil
Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil. It was brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. It is basically a stew prepared with black turtle beans with a variety of salted pork and beef products like bacon, smoked pork ribs and at least two types smoked sausage. It is traditionally served with rice. A popular myth...
Australia
One of the most recognized symbols of Australia, the Opera House in Sydney with its beautiful roof evocative of a ship at full sail includes 1000 rooms, conducts 3000 events each year and provides guided tours to over 200,000 people annually. It was designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon after he won a competition held...
Japan
Sakura (cherry blossom) is the national flower of Japan. The blooming of cherry blossoms is eagerly awaited across the country every year. Millions of people go to Hanami (flower viewing) parties to welcome the coming of spring. Also, given the short time that the blossoms remain on the trees, they are also seen as a...
