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Tinsel University: Cultural Icons of DU

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From theatre artists to filmmakers to photographers, the list of remarkable alumni associated with the University of Delhi runs into volumes. The article focuses on some such names for whom the university played a crucial role and who continues to inspire its students.

While researching for this article, I bumped into some surprising names I had no idea were part of the University, a humbling reminder of the generations of history that this place has kept hidden. While we have all heard of Shahrukh Khan’s Hansraj and KMC being called the “Bachchan College”, there are many others in the field of entertainment and arts who used to walk the same corridors as we do today. Here is our not-so-comprehensive list of notable alumni in such (and allied) fields:

  1. Deepa Mehta: The critically acclaimed director who shot to fame because of her films like Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005) is an alumnus of Lady Shri Ram College for Women in philosophy. While some have called her a transnational filmmaker, Mehta’s films have often broken boundaries such as Fire, a fierce lesbian love story that hit a whirlpool of controversy with its release. The film stars Nandita Das, a Miranda House alumni and Khulbushan Kharbanda, a Kirori Mal graduate.
  2. Rohit Bal: A leading fashion designer in India, Bal hails from Kashmir and is a graduate in history honours from St. Stephen’s College. The city also saw him starting his career with his brother Rajiv Bal in 1986. Today, Bal’s collections are sought after all over Bollywood and many celebrities like Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, and Shilpa Shetty have walked the ramp for him.
  3. Anjolie Ela Menon: Veteran painter and Padma Shri awardee, Menon is a graduate in English honours from Miranda House. She is now considered one of the leading contemporary artists of India, her paintings beings showcased in major collections all over the world.
  4. Anurag Kashyap: The gritty, “director of the masses”, is an alumnus of Hansraj College. Kashyap’s films such as Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) and D (2009) have been both commercial and critical successes pushing him into the limelight.
  5. Manoj Bajpayee: National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee studied in both in Satywati College and Ramjas College, immersing himself in the campus theatre scene during his college days. As he told Times of India, “Those three years of DU were life-changing for me. I went from someone who could not read the front page of the Times of India to reading George Bernard Shaw and Shakespeare.”

 

Feature Image Credits: 24 Update News

Sara Sohail

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DU Annual Fest Season

Highlights: Mecca 2018, the Annual Cultural Fest of Hindu College

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Mecca 2018, is one of the most anticipated annual cultural fests in the University of Delhi. The three-day fest that kicked off on the 14th of March, enthralled the fest going students in the University. With a line-up that included the indie band The Local Train, DJ Zaeden, and Bollywood sensation Amit Trivedi, Mecca 2018 was bigger and better than ever. The fest, which attracted a significant crowd during all the days, was a thrilling event including good music, food, and games.

The decorations of the fest were based on the theme “Around The World in 72 hours”. The college was decked in trinkets, maps, and more which divided the college on the basis of countries and cities. The theme could be seen on the graffitis that were made by students as well. Overall, the decor made the college infrastructure come alive, all the while providing fest going students aesthetic backgrounds to take photographs.

The Inauguration ceremony of Mecca 2018 took place in the auditorium of the college. Alankar, the Indian music society of Hindu College has opened the ceremony with a musical gala which was followed by various cultural performances including Kathak and classical music. The performances enthralled the audience and were a collective display of skills of some of the most talented students of Hindu College. Panache, the Fashion Society event subsequently followed the inauguration in the venue itself.

Various events ranging from Gully Cricket to Street Soccer, Fashion Competition to Musical and Dance Competitions. Slam poetry event, photography exhibition also took place. I Vogue, the fashion society of SGGSCC bagged the first position at the fashion competition. Alaap, the Indian music society won the first prize at Harmony, the Indian choir competition. The Western music society of DTU bagged the first prize at Arpeggio, the western choir competition. Ayaam of Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology came first in the street play competition. Verve of Sri Venkateswara College came first in the western dance competition, and Sparx of Gargi College came first in the choreography competition. SGTB Khalsa College and SGND Khalsa College jointly bagged the first prize at the folk dance competition. 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. Sukriti Poddar of Gargi College won Mecca Idol 2018.

Sumit Anand, a stand-up comedian spirited the Mecca audience in a fit of laughter with his witty and relatable punchlines. With a happy-go-lucky attitude, his jokes were effortlessly funny, leading to momentous hooting from the audience.

The Local Train, a Hindi rock band was invited to close the first day at Mecca. Their set featured popular songs like Manzil, Aaftaab, Khudi, and Mere Yaar.

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.

It was time for the much-awaited star night. Indeed, Mecca had saved the best for the last. Following a small delay, Amit Trivedi arrived on the stage with four additional singers. The concert kicked off with the song “Dilli”. The four other singers accompanying Amit Trivedi were Arun Kamath, Meghna Mishra, Divya Kumar and Rashita. Meghna Mishra was a 16-year old artist who had won awards for “Secret Superstar”. The team said that they divide their performance into two halves where the first half was for the ears while the other half was for the legs. The songs they performed included hits like “Maanjha”, “ Gulaabo”, “Shandaar” and “ Ud-daa Punjab”.

 

Feature Image Credits: Ayush Chauhan for DU Beat.

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Bazinga

Bazinga: Meritorious Students of the University to be Taken Abroad

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The University of Delhi is a hub of opportunities for the ones who are willing to take the chances. 

In a recent release of a circular, the Dean of Academic Activities and Projects mentioned that from the upcoming session, students will be taken abroad on an educational international trip, fully funded by the University, and accompanied by professors.

The selection of students will be on the basis of an exam. Since it will be pan DU, undergraduate students from any course can apply. The exam will have elective subjects, English, and Logic. According to sources, if the students who have applied have previously worked on any research papers or projects, their selection chances are heightened. “We want our university scholars to get the best of the opportunities to explore places, find their passion, and work efficiently. This plan was proposed earlier but never managed to come into existence. We are now ready to cater to the students who have the will and the potential to become global leaders”, quoted the Dean of Planning, DU. The plan is to take the students out for international conferences, global summits, and organisational meets. Many colleges and universities abroad run student exchange programmes which are also to be accepted by DU. The students selected through the exams will be sent in the exchange programmes to universities like Yeshiva University, Columbia University, etc.

“Being a centralised government institution, Delhi University has achieved milestones and the students have never failed to bring glories to their beloved colleges in the name of DU. This will be another platform for the deserving candidates to showcase what they have learnt and discovered. We are hoping to hear about more such steps taken by the university” said the Principal of Lady Shri Ram College for Women. Shahjadi Rahman, a student of Zakir Husain Delhi College commented “This chance given to the students of DU will increase the prospects of acquiring practical knowledge, exposure, and experience – rewards of days of attending classes, taking notes, and studying. The skilled students will definitely get through it, and also have the most adept training for the future.” Few other students collectively said that this was not a good idea because there are students who may have potential but won’t be able to crack the selection exam. Mass participation is expected, but the students are wishing that the selection process be unbiased.

*Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is a humorous, light-hearted column that should only be appreciated and not accepted.

 

Feature Image Credits: Mecanica

Radhika Boruah
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Humouroscope

Life When You are in an On-Campus Relationship

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A great man once coined the term ‘on-campus relationship’ to describe sleazy couples, which reside within the capacious four walls of North Campus, University of Delhi, occasionally seen coquettishly enveloping hands at Sudama Tea Point or attending a certain act of worship of a certain tree on that certain occasion mostly dreaded by single people. From having Parathas at Patel Chest to being evasive when you run into each other post a painful breakup, here is a piece of research that people in on-campus relationships would relate to:

1. You have to be careful who you look at: In North Campus, if you think you’d get away with casually flirting with a guy you met while buying Surf Excel at the neighborhood general store, you’re wrong. Because North campus is like a well-knit community of people, chances are that friends of friends of friends of friends would also know that you’re dating a certain someone. For all you know, the boy you were casually philandering with, might be the same person your boyfriend’s roommate’s classmate practices dance with. Conversely, people would be more cautious of making romantic advances on you because they’d know you are dating so-and-so.

2. Frequenting the VC lawns: The Viceregal Lodge, now called ‘VC’s office’, came into existence in 1902 was handed over to the University in 1933. 0.67 seconds post that, the first couple entered the VC lawns that surround the office. These exaggerations apart, the VC lawns, which are known for its ambrosial greenery and prepossessing foliage, are a hit amongst nature-“lovers” and poets alike.

3. Cups of Chai at Sudama: In a parallel universe, if tea stall owners were to be Pop Singers, Sudama Ji would be Lady Gaga. If Sudama Tea Joint earns ‘x’ amount of money from regular ‘single’ students, it earns ‘x²’ from couples who spend lazy evenings sipping cups of chai at the joint. Because on practical terms, on a student budget, spending INR 10 under the beauteous foliage at Sudama’s seems more appealing than spending INR 1000 at Mc. Donald’s.

4. Going to fests together: In a hypothetical situation, if the first college fest of University of Delhi was inaugurated at 10:30 hours on the fated date of 23rd February 1701, we can assume that the first couple held hands in that fest at 10:31 hours on 23rd February in the same century.

5. Avoiding running into each other post break-up: Whether you go out to buy toothpaste in Vijaynagar or to buy Maggi in Kamla Nagar, there would be a constant nagging at the back of your head that screams, “Get out of those sweats! Dress well! You don’t want him to know that you’re not dealing well with the breakup!”. Moreover, things get weird when you see the ex-beau with a new boy/girl. And then things get weirder when you stalk that new person on Instagram and before you realise it, you’re scrolling through her/his aunt’s best friend’s baby-sitter’s graduation pictures.

6. Overlapping friends’ circles: Taylor Swift in her song “We’re never getting back together” had sung, “..you go talk to your friends, talk to my friends.. but we are never ever ever getting back together”. She isn’t called the Queen for nothing, for she could accurately sum up what happens when an ‘on-campus’ couple breaks up. When you’re in such a relationship, you tend to spend so much time with the significant other’s friends that you end up becoming friends, your respective friends end-up dating, and your friend’s circles end up becoming a confusing web of common acquaintances. As a result, when you break-up, the equations in the friend’s circle gets disrupted and WhatsApp groups are formed titled “Sheetal broke up with Sanjay, ab kya kare” (What to do now that Sheetal and Sanjay broke up?).

 

Feature Image Credits: Gewusstwie Lerntherapie

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
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Jesus and Mary College

JMC’s Fest Montage 2018 Draw Curtains on a Musical Note

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The second day of Montage 2018 began on a musical note with Swaraangan, the Indian Musical Choir competition of Jesus and Mary College. Shri Onkar Nath of Indore Gharana judged the competition.  Alaap of Sri Venkateswara College bagged the first position followed by Sangeetika of Kamala Nehru College and Swaranjali of Hansraj College were declared the first and the second runners-up respectively. All the colleges in the competition captivated the audience with their melodies. In the Bollywood Solo Singing Competition “Afreen”, Purvi Chaturvedi of Kamala Nehru College won the first prize. Deepayan Mukherjee of Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology and Shayan Chatterjee of Shri Ram College of Commerce secured the second and the third positions respectively.

Beaux Arts held a 3D Jewellery Making competition and Nabyah Hafeez and Jasjot Kaur from Dyal Singh College (Morning) won a cash prize of INR 2000.

Annual General Quiz 2018 was organised by Curiosus, the Quiz Society of JMC. Adittya Nath Mubayi was the quiz master for the day. After several preliminary rounds and final rounds, Tushar Anand and Akash Verma were announced as the winners.  Vishesh Balani and Aditya Barthwal as second runners-up, and Sushain Ghosh and Duttnath Thakur came third.

Amidst all the competitiveness of dance and street plays, Sunny Mugs Poetry Club organised a creative Slam Poetry Competition to drown the moods of Montage into melancholy and imagination. Themes of loneliness, love, parental rejection, and lack of acceptance in the society underplayed all the poems. The judges Aditi Angiras and Vikramaditya Sahai announced Isha from Ambedkar University, Kanika Ahuja from Dyal Singh College, and Soumya Vats from Hansraj College as the winners of first, second, and third positions.

The highlight of the day was Chimera, the choreography competition hosted by Western Dance Society of JMC. Exquisite performances by Hindu College, Gargi College, Kirori Mal College, Sri Venkateswara College, and Lady Shri Ram College for Women among others on the themes of gender binaries, illiteracy, sins of life, etc. added charm to the event. Judges Benjamin Jacob and Himanshu Sharma announced Sparx of Gargi College as the winner. Terpsi Chorean of Hansraj College grabbed the second prize.

If the western dance competition wasn’t enough, the audience was treated to a one of a kind event called Delhi Dance Fever. The first round was the auction round. Teams bid for dancers from other colleges and performed with props given to them such as lathis, wipers, badminton rackets. The songs were each better than the other with classic Bollywood songs such as ‘Nimbooda’, ‘Kajra Re’ to pop songs like ‘Havana’,  ‘Strip that Down’, and ‘Young Dumb & Broke’. The next round will be held in March, along with a wildcard entry.

Playback singer and music composer Nakash Aziz of ‘Highway’ and ‘Rockstar’ fame ignited the stage with evergreen Bollywood hits such as ‘Humma’,  ‘Badtameez Dil’, and R. D. Burman’s ‘Bachna Ae Hasino’. It was a treat to witness him engaging with the crowd as he swooned to the spunky number ‘Om Shanti Om’. His versatility was on display as he effortlessly switched over to newer Bollywood hits such as ‘Pyaar ki Pungi’ and ‘Ilahi’. With this JMC’s Annual Cultural Fest Montage 2018 drew its curtains.

 

Feature Image Credits: Surabhi Khare for DU Beat.

Radhika Boruah ([email protected])

Oorja Tapan ([email protected])

Raabiya Tuteja ([email protected])

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak ([email protected])

Anukriti Mishra ([email protected])

Prachi Mehra ([email protected]) 

 

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Campus Central

Leaves of Glory: A Decade of Getting Better

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Often perceived as the leader of reforms, be it academic or technological, the University of Delhi (DU) has been the birthplace of and a home to several reformative ideas. These ideas have changed the lives of students and have had an impact on the culture of the University in the past decade.

Change is the only constant. In this case, it is an apt description of the state of affairs in one of the most prestigious universities of the country. In the past decade, as India’s development story has gone through a sea of change, so has that of one of its premier universities. Some of the reformative initiatives taken up by the University have positively impacted the lives of students and improved the quality of education. In a nutshell, for a university established in 1922, innovation was not a luxury but a necessity in order to ensure that the varsity continued to thrive.

Antardhvani

A cultural festival started in 2013, Antardhvani served as a pan-university platform for talent to showcase itself. The event was the brain-child of then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dinesh Singh who wanted students to “march to the drumbeat of his or her inner calling”. It helped students unleash their inner creativity by performing at an event of a greater magnitude than any college fest. Rock band competitions, National Cadet Corps parades, stalls, and flower shows were all part of Antardhvani. Lucrative prizes worth more than INR 18 lakhs were given to colleges based on criteria like architecture and technology, as well as on various artistic parameters. The flagship event was discontinued after 2015.

Image Credits: The Univesity of Delhi
Image Credits: The Univesity of Delhi

Cluster Innovation Centre

The Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) was established in 2011. It was built to create an educational ecosystem that would teach its students innovation and allow them to think outside the box. CIC offers students bachelor’s degrees in Humanities and Social Sciences as well as in Mathematical Technology and Innovation. It has resources like an engineering kitchen, a robotics and embedded systems lab, a digital fabrication and prototyping lab, along with a computer science lab, an information technology innovation lab, and a library. With an alumni list extending from Oxford University to Google India, the institute has proven to be an excellent experiment of learning innovatively in the last seven years.

 

Image Credits: Cluster Innovation Centre
Image Credits: Cluster Innovation Centre

 

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games left behind an important asset for the University. Apart from the posh stadiums and sports arenas of the University which saw great upliftment in their infrastructure during this time, other basic provisions in the campus also got upgraded. Today, these amenities are used by the University for its academic and extracurricular purposes apart from housing some of the University’s top research centres. They are also used as the venue for the annual convocation ceremony.

Image Credits: Government of India
Image Credits: Government of India

Delhi Metro

With the introduction of Delhi’s very own metro service, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation gave the national capital a priceless gift in 2002. With subsequent phases of development, each part of Delhi-NCR became well-connected. It no longer matters if you live in the far ends of Shahdara, Gurgaon, or Faridabad; reaching college has never been this easy. Remarkably, the two main campuses of the university have their very own stations. Metro rides have become a regular part of student lives, so much so that we cannot imagine what we would do without them. The Delhi Metro undoubtedly changed students’ lives, one token at a time.

Image Credits: The Journal of Banking and Finance
Image Credits: The Journal of Banking and Finance

Delhi University E-Journals

In the last few years, one of the major steps undertaken by the University in the direction of literary development of the students was coming up with various e-journals. These include the Delhi University Journal of the Humanities and the Social Sciences and the Delhi University Journal of the Natural Sciences. In addition to these, DU-Vidha is a bilingual journal for creative writing while the Delhi University Journal of Undergraduate Research and Innovation publishes original research work from student projects with the aim of disseminating academic articles. The University has put arduous efforts in its endeavor of bringing forth latent talent in the students into the limelight.

Image Credits: The Univesity of Delhi
Image Credits: The Univesity of Delhi

Delhi University Website

The emergence of technology in the University completely transfigured its charm. The University of Delhi got its own website in the year of 1998, making it one of three south Asian universities to have websites of their own. However, the current website in use was designed during the tenure of Professor Dinesh Singh. The latest development in this direction is the examination department getting a website of its own in 2017.

Image Credits: The Indian Express
Image Credits: The Indian Express

Electronic Voting Machines

In 2007, the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) was incorporated into the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections. EVMs were used for one of the first times in an academic institution in the country. It was a historic move following which the contesting parties started using technology while vying for attention and campaigning. In subsequent elections, EVMs began to be used in college union elections as well.

Image Credits: DD News
Image Credits: DD News

Entrance and Practical Exams

Examinations like the DU Joint Admission Test, the entrance examination for CIC, and practical examinations for courses like B.A. (Honours) Music have led to students being evaluated on the specific skill set that they wish to pursue rather than being dependent on vague and often unreliable board results. The Common Aptitude Test for English (CATE) conducted for students wishing to pursue B.A. (Honours) English, although discontinued later, is another example of a major change that aimed to make the University more student-friendly.

Image Credits: Hindustan Times
Image Credits: Hindustan Times

Feature Image Credits: Prateek Singh for DU Beat

Kinjal Pandey
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Sandeep Samal
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Raabiya Tuteja
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News

Kejriwal Meets Students, Accept Demands of Cheaper Transportation

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Taking forward the struggle for roll-back of the metro fare hike and better public transport in Delhi, a mass delegation of students from almost 30 colleges marched to the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house and had a meeting that lasted almost 2 hours. The resolute students, led by the All India Students’ Association, marched from the Civil Lines Metro Station to Raj Niwas in the afternoon of 25th January, 2018.

In a monumental development, the CM extended his full support to the ongoing movement for rolling back the metro fare hike and accepted most of the students’ other demands relating to Delhi public transport. Granting major relief to the students of University of Delhi, the delegation managed to convince the CM to extend the validity of DTC bus passes for students. The student bus pass which was till now valid for four months, will henceforth be valid for 6 months.

Speaking on their second achievement, AISA DU President Kawalpreet Kaur remarked, “Student bus passes were hitherto valid only in non-AC busses. And it had been our long-standing demand that the passes be made valid for AC busses as well, a demand which was immediately accepted by the CM.”

Moreover, in a noteworthy accomplishment, the students’ delegation also persuaded the CM to introduce university-special busses and women-special busses as well as increase the number of DTC busses by 2000, a significant move which will enhance connectivity with Delhi University colleges. Towards this end, AISA State Secretary Niraj Kumar remarked, “The CM has asked for a period of 6 months to materialise this promise.”

When asked about their future course of action, AISA National President Sucheta De said, “Now, in a few days’ time, we will take a delegation to the PM, since he is a major stakeholder in our struggle for more effective public transport in Delhi.”

 

Feature Image Credits: Niraj Kumar, AISA

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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Bazinga

Bazinga: Delhi University to Clear All Back Papers of Students

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As a part of University of Delhi’s Republic Day gift, the backlogs of all students from their previous university examination will be removed, with effect from the November-December 2017 semester exam results.

In an attempt to pacify the increasingly growing crowd of students failing, the Executive Council of Delhi University came up with the idea of clearing the pending backlogs of students from the immediately preceding semester. Following this declaration on Monday, some students were seen rejoicing the decision, while others were visibly distressed about the unprecedented spike in marks and subsequent competition this decision would bring.

However, after probing into the matter, DU Beat found that this decision is not devoid of conditions. A student can only clear his/her backlogs provided the attendance in that particular subject in the last semester exceeds 85%. The rationale employed behind this is to credit the daily commitment of the few students who are willing to work, and despite of their hard work are unable to perform well in the university examinations. The backlog would be cleared and the student would be given a 4 grade point for that subject, that is, the minimum passing marks. This move has received flak from the student community and teachers alike, and has necessitated an urgent inquiry by the Human Resources ministry into the underlying facets of the Delhi University examinations.

Radhika Boruah, a student majoring in Economics at Daulat Ram College has objected to this resolution. She has asserted that this step disregards a bright student’s efforts and places them in the same category as those who are less deserving. On the other hand, Niharika Dabral, a student at Cluster Innovation Center (CIC) has contended that this opportunity is available to those who genuinely put efforts into studying and still are not able to score as much, or fail because of unforeseen circumstances.

Since this rebound is available only to a selected few, it is bound to create hullabaloo in the University campus. North Campus was seen brimming with protests demanding a roll back of this sudden “gift”. Many student political outfits have lead protests and have roped in teachers’ associations as well. Delhi University Teaching Staff (DUTS) has lent its support for these protest marches and have written to the Executive Council to demand an urgent probe into the matter. Desh Singh, a member of DUTS has also sent a written appeal to the concerned government officials. He has stated that this is a mala fide attempt by the DU officials to appease to the student masses and not aimed at their actual benefit. DU Beat tried reaching out to these officials to no avail. Considering the current heated atmosphere, there is high likelihood that the government will force DU to roll back this decision, or clarify the contents of this “gift” on an urgent basis.

*Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is a humorous, light hearted column that should only be appreciated and not accepted.

 

Feature Image Credits: PinArt

Vijeata Balani

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Events

Spardhaa: Sports fest of Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women

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Shaheed Rajguru College of Applied Sciences for Women, University of Delhi – organized its second Sports Fest “SPARDHAA” on 18th-19th January 2018 on the college campus. Spardhaa – which signifies healthy competition, served as a significant platform for the participants to exhibit their sports talent, leadership and comradery. The Chief Guest for the Opening Ceremony was Shri Ram Niwas Goel, Speaker, Delhi Legislative Assembly and the function was also graced by Shri Manoj Kumar, Member Legislative Assembly, NCT of Delhi. The guest of Honor was Mrs Santosh Yadav, Padma Shree Awardee and the first woman in the world to scale Mount Everest twice within a gap of less than a year. The festival started with a March-past of fourteen Departmental Teams and two teams of Students Council and Sports Council respectively. The Department of Physics bagged the first Position in March-past for their well-coordinated and energetic presentation.

In the Intercollege category, there were nine events including Aerobics, Rhythmic Yoga, Yoga, Volleyball, Kho-Kho, Table Tennis, Badminton, and Tug of War. Chess and Carom were specially kept for Para- athlete category to encourage equal opportunity. A vibrant participation by around 800 athletes from 43 colleges/Institutions of University of Delhi and NCR was witnessed in “SPARDHAA” to make it a grand success. Though these events were primarily for girls but Badminton, Tug of war, and Table Tennis were open for boys also.

The Sports Fest was yet another platform to display women power. It also catered to community sports activities for the non-sports students and staff of the college in order to promote fitness, wellness, and a sense of socialization. The community sports activities included 50 M Race, 200 M Race, Discuss Throw, Shot Put, Long Jump, 4×100 M Relay Race, and Three Legged Race and some fun-based activities for staff. The community sports activities proved to be very popular among the in-house students/staff and showcased their sports potential.

Spardhaa received overwhelming support from our sponsors, Chief among them being the ONGC Ltd. and the Delhi State Aids Control Society, Govt of Delhi. Other sponsors like vki fotographie, Sega Shoes, Parle Agro, and Delhi Sports also chipped in and contributed to its success. Our media partners like Samachar Nirdesh, DU Express, DU Vibes, DU Beat, DU Khabar etc. covered the events and helped us in reaching out to all our stake holders.

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DUB Speak

Absurdly “Realistic Stereotypes”

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Whenever college students are depicted in movies, you have to take it with a grain of salt. They are generally depicted as 25-to-30-year-olds never studying or attending class while focusing all their time on their social lives. That being said, sometimes there’s an ounce of truth to these stereotypes.

Here is a carefully crafted list of college students as movie characters that you find in every college-

The tomboyish exuberance: Anjali from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

For an industry that had a history of being stuck with “gulaabi gaal” and “reshmi zulfein”, Anjali was a miracle. The tomboyish exuberance, the loud disposition, the nonchalance towards fashion and social mannerisms was more real than Bollywood likes to be. Millions of girls across India felt seen for the first time. For this, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai will be a landmark and blessing to Bollywood, always.

The self-loving socialite: Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham

She loved herself. Right from her killer entry dancing on “It’s Raining Men” to her looking for fat-free stuff on the dining table, Poo’s world revolved around herself. She refused to be bossed around by men and did the bossing all by herself. She also taught every woman that there’s nothing wrong with finding yourself sexy. You’ll definitely come across a Poo in college whose fashion sense might be over the top, but is never afraid to speak her mind.

The reckless and westernised archetype: Laxman aka Lucky from Main Hoon Naa

Lucky represents the most radical divergence from the typical Bollywood hero figure. From the moment he first appears on screen, Lucky typifies everything that Bollywood culture seems to fear. He wears Westernized clothing (leather jackets and ripped shirts), drives a motorcycle, plays the guitar, and is a serious lady’s man. Lucky also sports long, unruly hair, a sign of recklessness and wild behaviour. Throughout the movie, we see him smoking, failing classes, and denying any romantic feelings for girls in order to maintain his image. In each college, you would encounter such a prototype who would appear reckless from afar, but on close scrutiny, you’d discover the “softer” image of their character.

The Youth Leader: Michael Mukherjee from Yuva

In every college, we see the erudite college youth leader who wants to bring about a change in the social order and wants to use student power to change the festering fortunes of Indian politics. He doesn’t think it’s wrong to hustle people around as long as the ends are achieved. He is passionate about his ideas to the extent that he’d be willing to turn down a US scholarship, like Ajay Devgn’s character did in Yuva.

The good student whose passion lies elsewhere: Farhan from 3 Idiots

Farhan has a passion for photography in the movie and his passion is to become a wildlife photographer. But he joined an engineering college to satisfy his parents. Throughout your college life, you’d come across many of his kind who have been compelled to choose a course of life they are not passionate about, but still go ahead due to certain compulsions.

The ditzy party girl: Haley Dunphy from Modern Family

Sarah Hyland’s ditzy yet lovable Haley has had a rough collegiate road. She first got kicked out of college for freshman drinking, thereafter got enrolled in community college and then started her own fashion photography blog. If you pay closer heed, you’d see that every college has someone with this party-girl persona.

The Bro:  Steve Stifler in American Pie

Much like the offensive but good-natured Stifler, bros are obnoxious, loud-mouthed males who live for partying. Every college has at least one. They usually just stand around holding a red plastic cup waiting for something exciting to happen so they can scream something that demonstrates how much they really enjoy partying. Usually, well concealed under spiked hair with frosted tips, there’s a heart of real gold.

The Nice, Stable Nerd: Max Fischer in Rushmore

Just as every movie features a bro, the flip-side of the coin is the uncool nerd character who is still somehow likable despite being presented as a loser. Unthreatening, intelligent, and helpful, he would be obsessed with joining and starting college clubs like beekeeping, stamp and coin collecting, French, Model United Nations and so. Like Max, the likeable nerd also often has trouble in love.

The talented multi-tasker: Elle Woods from Legally Blonde

Elle Woods had a lot going for her. She was president of her sorority, was charming and most importantly, was a natural blonde. She was also crafty enough to make it into Harvard  Energetic, sweet, and persistent, she is the prototype of the multi-tasker in every college.

 

Feature Image Credits: PNGTree

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

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