Denim finds its way practically into every wardrobe and is versatile enough to go with all kinds of clothes, prints and fabrics. Here’s how you can style four very basic denim pieces for the fests.
Skirts:
An oversized sweater paired up with a denim skirt, along with boots, is the go-to look for girls. A solid coloured top tucked in a denim skirt can be paired well, with junk jewelry or simple hoops. Janpath or Sarojini Nagar market, must have them for as low as Rs 200. Experiment with printed and knotted shirts. Wear sneakers and go all comfortable while dancing around in concerts.
Shirts:
Black jeans compliment any gradient of denim shirts. Tuck or no tuck, just add a belt and shoes. The shirt doesn’t necessarily have to be buttoned up. Wear it over a tank top or crop top, and t-shirt for a casual look. Half tucked shirt worn over a crop top and black jeggings are very comfortable. Play with accessories but don’t go too overboard.
Jackets:
Denim jacket is a literal savior for all, and is always in trend. Wear a denim jacket, over a dress, to perfectly execute your answer. Girls can always pair palazzo pants with a tucked top and wear the jacket as a cape. A white t-shirt and jeans worn with a denim jacket, if it gets too monotonous, simply, wear loose t-shirts with distressed jeans. If you’re planning to pair denim with denim, experiment with two different shades, say lighter and a darker wash or colours like black or white.
Jeans:
Kurta and jeans are almost synonymous with University students. Paired with kolhapuri flats and a tote bag, this combination is worn by both, boys and girls on a daily basis. When it comes to fests, bling up these looks by accessorizing. Junk neckpieces, and sunglasses. Drop the jholas and opt for backpacks for fests – much more comfortable and easy to carry. Jeans for guys go best with V neck t-shirts, sweaters, and hooded sweatshirts. Distressed jeans with kurti, paired with jhumkas can transcend a regular day look to a fest outfit.
Priyanshi, a second-year student at Indraprastha College for Women, says, “I usually attend fests after class and a sweatshirt and jeans is what I wear to college but not on a fest. I’d rather put an acid-washed denim jacket as a cape over the same outfit and be ready in no time. Of course, I always have a pair of big hoops and bandana in my bag to accessorise”.
Denim can be styled in multiple ways. It is the versatility and comfort of the material that makes it all the more popular amongst college students.
Motilal Nehru College(MLNC) witnessed a two-hour-long protest organised by the Student Union; many students blocked the college gate, making it difficult for vehicles to enter or exit. The protest was called off and many students went down to the Delhi University Student’s Union (DUSU) office to protest again.
It all began from MNLC’s Student Union’s desire to have a high budget fest this season. Before this year; the cultural society of MLNC(M), the student union of MLNC(M), and the student union of MLNC(E) used to have separate fests with separate names. This year, all of them collectively decided to have a single, high budget fest. There were many issues within the organising committee itself regarding the name of the fest, given all 3 used to have different names, but more problems awaited them owing to lack of cooperation from the administration.
As it goes at any other college’s fest, the organising committee worked day and night to gather sponsorship and finalise an artist to make their event bigger and better. The union had finally locked down Punjabi Singer “Karan Aujla” and even a pseudo-MoU had been signed. Whatsapp Groups of the students of MLNC saw this graphic being circulated.
But shortly after, the administration office introduced several restrictions for this new fest, they demanded no other student apart from MLNC to be able to enter or attend the Star Night event. This caused a lot of backlash from the student community and only half an hour later, these two graphics were circulated amongst similar groups.
Next Morning, many students participated in the protest organised by the Student’s Union. The Student’s Union highlighted many incidents of Corruption from the Administration office, giving examples of Letterheads and lack of Nescafe booths in the college premises, and demanded for the star night to be brought back with their demands and for the administration to cooperate regarding the signatures on the MoUs.
An English Professor from MLNC said, “There is always a gap between the understanding of the advisory committee of the Student’s Union and the people from the Student’s Union. If they claim for the Administration (office) to be corrupt, you cannot ignore the fact that they are somewhat corrupt too and this might be the reason that they joined student politics in the first place.”
According to the Union and the organising committee, the administration office has not been really helpful or supportive regarding the annual fest ever, and this year has been way worse compared to previous years and the efforts being put in the Student Union.
The sit-in protest at the college gate lasted for almost 2 hours, during which only selected vehicles could enter or exit the gates. This led to disruption in the day-to-day activities of the college and after a while, the protest had to be called off because of pressure by the Police officials and the administration.
The Delhi High Court suggested inclusion of CBI for further inspection in the mass molestation at Reverie, Gargi College, case. Moreover, HC has also mandated, retrieval of every visual footage captured through the CCTV camera of the College for further evidence.
On 17th of February 2020, in the wake of the Gargi College mass molestation case, new developments have been made, and it’s come up that the Delhi High Court has served a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Delhi Police, regarding a petition which is aimed at a ‘court monitored CBI inspection’ into the claimed molestation case, which happened in the College, during the star night at Reverie, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College, earlier that week.
As detailed in the petition of advocate M.L. Sharma, retrieval of every visual footage captured through the CCTV camera of the University has to be maintained for further evidence . The court heard his petition where he claimed that nothing had been done as of yet and he further said,”On 9th February, FIR was registered by the police and a handful of people were arrested.” The court has decided 30th April 2020 for further hearing on this matter after registering the responses from the authorities.
The plea was registered on 13th February 2020, Thursday, upon facing a rejection from the Supreme Court and at a suggestion to move to the hearing at the High Court instead. This plea suggests to preserve all video and camera footage that can be retrieved through campus’s CCTV camera. The aim is to put those behind the bars who are associated with this criminal conspiracy.
On 12th February, ten people, between the age of 18 and 25, who were found complicit in the crime were detained by the police. However, the very next day witnessed their release on bail and two more further arrests.
The police claims that over 11 teams visited various sites in the National Capital Region(NCR), to look over technical details in connection with recognition of suspects related with the case. It’s said that allegedly the Delhi police filed the case upon receiving a complaint from the end of college authorities.
A case was registered at the Hauz Khas police station under the Indian Penal Code Section 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
In a recent press release, the University of Delhi (DU) released out a statement condemning the sexual harassment that occurred during Gargi College’s annual cultural fest, Reverie.
In a recent press release dated 12th February 2020, the University of Delhi released an official statement condemning the sexual harassment that occurred during the college’s annual festival Reverie on 6th February 2020 and standing with the female students and employees of Gargi College in their fight against the incident. In the statement signed by the University’s Registrar, Professor Tarun Kumar Das said, “The University strongly condemned the hooliganism, trespassing and any other incident that violated the modesty of the students, and appealed to the law enforcement agencies to take strong action against the culprits.”
In the statement, the University claims that it sought action taken report from the Principal of Gargi College as soon as it heard the news regarding the incident, with the University’s Proctor meeting with Police personnel and requesting them to deploy policemen at the gates of every college on 11th February 2020. The Proctor also allegedly met with the Deputy Commissioner of the Police (North) and the Dean Students Welfare and Presiding Officer (ICC) of the University on 12th February 2020 at 3 pm to discuss the measures that were to be taken regarding the matter immediately.
The University insists that it is doing everything to harbour a sense of safety amongst students and ensure safe and secure academic campuses for the university and is at a constant vigil for the same. The University had also issued an advisory for all colleges and institutions associated with DU concerning the safety and security of its female students and employees on 10th December 2019 and had constituted a Committee on Women Safety and Security to strengthen the safety and security of female students and employees on 15th January 2020.
“The University reiterates its resolve time continue to work towards ensuring a safe and secure college life for female students in particular. The University appeals to all to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of our female students and employees and respect their dignity,” the press release stated.
Students of Gargi College, University of Delhi, experiences hooliganism, trespassing, and sexual harassment during their annual festival Reverie that took place on 6th February 2020, due to poor administration and lack of proper security. Students of Gargi College have been observing dissent demonstrations against the act, and the College and established a Fact-Finding committee to find evidence and information for reporting it to official personnel. Student and teacher organisations of the university- Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthu Parishad (ABVP), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI)- have condemned the incident and held demonstrations across the campus in support of the female students and employees of Gargi College.
Reverie’20, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College wasn’t a good experience for students who attended the star night with Jubin Nautiyal. Numerous accounts of man-handling and abuse were reported.
Trigger Warning: This article contains accounts of sexual harassment and molestation.
Reverie, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College took place from 4th February to 6th February 2020. Despite having a strict entry procedure, it witnessed various incidents of molestation and harassment.
While the first two days were relatively peaceful, the third day turned out to be more horrendous. Girls were groped, abused, and ogled at during Jubin Nautiyal’s concert on 6th February. It became impossible to even move out for safety in the huge crowd that had gathered. Gargi College, as it is known for its ethics and morals, ironically became the center of physical and verbal assault of many women.
While the entry for boys was strictly through passes and supposed to close after 4:30 pm, the gates remained open till late, and there was no checking for identification either. The security system proved to be highly incompetent as middle aged men jumped over boundaries to enter the campus. Due to overcrowding, there was no checking for passes or IDs at the gates. An anonymous source reports that the men did not break the gates initially. An admin official had consciously opened the gates to let a car enter. Once the gates were opened, a pool of men, including many non college students, flooded in. The influx continued till late. Approximately more than 5,000 individuals had accumulated on the Campus. They sat on the stalls of vendors and actively damaged the property of the college.
One of the students shared, “They broke down the gate, climbed over the walls and rammed their scooties into the crowd. The men were walking around drunk and shirtless.” Another girl said, “It was my first ever fest and I was touched inappropriately multiple times. A man just unzipped himself and kept on laughing at me. It is frightening and hard for me to accept what I witnessed in a supposedly safe girls college”.
Video Credits: Anonymous
Video Caption: The entry witnessed lack of frisking and pass checking, leading to mass entry and overcrowding.
Anguished students who went to the principal and other officials to complain, reportedly received only her apathy and insensitive comments. A girl stated, “It was scary and traumatic, and the administration refused to help.”
Several members of the Public and Media Relations and Students’ Union volunteers tried their best to help the students. They went out forming human chains and getting the girls from the crowd inside the barricades. A volunteer comments, “We literally pushed and fought the men back, stood on chairs to hold hands of girls in the crowd and helped them in front. When we were forming a human chain around the stage, a bunch of guys intentionally hurled themselves upon us and we fell down on the speakers. They began laughing and commenting on our bodies”
A lot of students took to social media to share their thoughts and personal experiences.
Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 1) Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 2) Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: An Instagram story of a student explaining the incident. (Part 3) Image Credits: Anonymous Image Caption: A student sharing her personal experience via Instagram.
A student reported that she assisted in carrying out several women out of the ground in her hands. While two of them had panic attacks because of the harassment they faced, one was lying unconscious at the ground entry because a man had started masturbating at her. Another student was cornered by a group of middle aged drunk men who tried to molest her. On the assurance of anonymity, a second year student of Gargi College accounts, “15 girls cannot fight with 500 men alone. The teachers just sat on the sofas and saw everything unfold. When we asked them for help, we were told to fight everything ourselves.”
Anandi Sen from Kamla Nehru College, who also attended the fest, tells us, “I witnessed so many men just ‘scanning’ women from top to bottom. It is not only cheap but extremely creepy. The stares and silent smirks speak a lot. However there were some very decent people out there who ensured that you’re doing well in the jam packed crowd and ensuring that they do not brush or touch any person without their consent.”
There was a continuous pushing and passing comments in the dense crowd. Jammed networks made it worse – one couldn’t text or call in case of emergency because there were no signals. Students were stuck and couldn’t get out.
“I’ve always felt safe on campus except for the three days. The administration lets this happen trivializing our trauma year after year. We did not sign up to be told by the principal that itna unsafe feel karte ho toh mat aayakaro”, says a student of the College.
Random men stood outside the College throwing money at the girls, giving suggestive stares. Many of the girls were followed back to their PGs and metro stations by men in cars. A student reports that she was waiting outside the gate for a cab when a group of three boys adamantly kept on asking her if she wanted a ride and to just get in the car. This happened in the presence of police officers who were patrolling around.
“No amount of money you carelessly take for unknown people to enter the campus can ever pay up to my body being forced into being your property”, quotes Nilanjana.
A final year student wrote on her social media, “Gargi is our space to exist, where our voices are acknowledged not by the administration but by the wonderful women around us. However, every year, during Reverie, this one space we call our own is taken away from us and sacrificed to capitalism and hyper masculinity. We are afraid to move, we are harassed and ogled at. Men come and assert their dominance and toxic masculinity in the most brutal way possible, every year.”
In an official statement, the Students’ Union of Gargi College stated that gate duties are handled by the administrative staff wherein clear instructions were given by the Union to ensure lesser entries of only college students with a pass. Funds had been raised and made available for hiring a private security agency to ensure barricading outside the gate and competent bouncers. However nothing of this was in practice. Even the policemen weren’t as pro active as they should have been despite their repeated requests. Police vans were conveniently parked outside the college with all the mishaps taking place inside.
Image Source: Students’ Union official statement.Image Source: Students’ Union official statement.
Suman, a student of the college summed up her fest experience, by stating, “Gargi you’re so much better, safe and homely without the star night”.
Feature Image Credits: Sanyukta Singh from Gargi College
A thing that brings all the aspirants of the University of Delhi in this country to a sense of fascination is the University’s engagement with the performing arts. With a plethora of opportunities in fields like dance, music, dramatic, students are exposed to the discipline and the adventure of the arts that interest them. DU Beat brings to you the first of the six installations of its analysis of the top society in DU. The hard work was persistent, and the competition heartening. Let’s delve into who made the cut and how.
Methodology
The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions that could be won at various events. The society that secured the 1st position was awarded 3 points, the society that secured the 2nd position was awarded 2 points, and finally, the society securing the 3rd position was awarded 1 point.
42 college fests were considered in the making of the tally. The selection of these 42 colleges was based upon an analysis done by speaking with members of numerous college societies, and tracking the fests they considered most prestigious. The considered colleges are:
Top Three Positions
The top society in western dance, with a total of 46 points, is Spardha (Shaheed Bhagat Singh College). A close second goes to Crunk (Sri Aurobindo College) with 42 points, and the third position has been won by Enliven of Gargi College with 35 points.
Points Tally: Western Dance
The Winning Society at a glance
Mayank Rathaur, the President of Spardha, shared his thoughts on this victory with DU Beat- “This team has always focused on hard work more than anything. We have been known for being different and fearless with the styles we perform. Here in Spardha “we practice like we never won and perform like we never lost!” Two years back, we were absolutely nothing and when I read the article of the Best Western Dance Society of 2016-17, it was a dream to see Spardha’s name in the coming years. Feels amazing that my dream has finally come true and it is only because of our choreographers and the hard work of all the team members that we managed to reach to the top.
Started from the bottom, now we’re here!”
Performing members
Mayank Rathaur (President)
Anant Sharma (Vice President)
Anushka Shukla (Secretary)
Arvind Sarawagi
Akshit Lamba
Sumit Kumar
Kapish Sirohi
Shubham Tyagi
Alisha Solanki
Reetik
Priyanshu Khandelwal
Preeti
Aseem Aggarwal
Nupur Malik
Devyani Grover
Shreeja Yadav
Tamanna Saini
Shashank Rohilla
Rahul Ashok Thakur
Abhishek Dubey
Ashi Adhikari
Himanshi Deshwal
Winners Tally
From the colleges in our consideration, Spardha won at the following college’s competitions:
1st: Zakir Hussain College (Evening), Indraprastha College for Women, Sri Venkateswara College, Lady Shri Ram College, College of Vocational Studies, Sri Aurobindo College, Daulat Ram College, PGDAV College (Morning), Ram Lal Anand College, Shaheed Rajguru College
2nd: Maitreyi College, Ramjas College, Hansraj College, Hindu College, Miranda House, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Janki Devi Memorial College
3rd: Mata Sundri College, Institute of Home Economics
Massive crowds, endless music and celebrations, food, and fun; fest season in the varsity was a delightful time, with its own moments of ups and downs.
“For the longest time, having lived around the North Campus since childhood, I had heard a lot about college fests. We could hear the music at our home, the roads jammed because of crowds, hundreds of students seeking shelter in the cafes of Hudson Lane. I had anticipated a great time for my own first-hand experience and truly, the hype lived up to it all!” An excited first-year student from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) exclaimed, reminiscing the good time he had at Crossroads – the annual cultural festival of SRCC.
The fest season is, undoubtedly, one of the most exciting times on campus. Seeing as how it has almost come to an end by now, some of us have been left asking for more. Amidst the glamour and celebrations, there is a sense of connect that builds up between people. From charged dances to singing songs together at concerts, we all come closer. And it is these moments that some of the fondest memories of college life materialise.
Having observed most of the major fests in campus; from Reverie to Mecca, spread over almost two months, there was one thing that remained constant. Despite all the problems due to huge crowds and corresponding unruly behaviors exhibited by some people, there was a lot of joy that hit at the end of it all. “And that is what matters,” said Atima Bakshi from Hindu College, “To feel this sense of togetherness and joy with the right people.”
Truly, with the right company, enjoyment multiplies manifolds. Even as fests have become spaces for interactions and connections and celebrations, there is a lot that is awry about their organisation that needs addressing. For instance, dealing with some uncontrolled fanatics who barge into crowds; inebriated and wild. Fests have not been entirely joyous for a lot of people. There have been reports of people indulging in inappropriate behavior during fests. It is almost right to claim that fests have been given to celebrate cringe-worthy displays of power, usually by drunk men perpetrating toxic ideals of masculinity.
Every college union attempts to invite the most famous artists to their fests. This year saw performers like DJ Chetas, Guru Randhawa, Jassie Gill, Vishal-Shekhar, and Jubin Nautiyal with various other bands like The Local Train and Indian Ocean. This pursuit for the most famous artist becomes an invitation to a more rowdy crowd. Although the central idea is to invite the participation of maximum people, it is undermined by how poorly the crowds are managed.
For everyone who witnessed these fests for the first time, certainly the experience has been an amazing learning opportunity. Undoubtedly, it was an absolute joy listening to The Local Train’s tracks, or dancing to Vishal-Shekhar’s peppy Bollywood numbers at Crossroads and Mecca, respectively. But it was also a study in tolerance.
The idea of the fests wherein all colleges and their respective societies and departments conduct so many interesting activities, allowing an exploration into a plethora of talents of students, is also commendable. In the highly commercialised food stalls and high-end designed posters and merchandise, it is good that a space for art and aesthetics is retained.
Street plays, dance performances, fashion shows, singing competitions, or fine arts’ events and exhibits captured the spectators in stunning displays of aesthetics. Hansraj College’s Swaranjali to Hindu College’s Alankaar, or Gargi College’s Enliven to Miranda House’s Tanz – every respective society in their respective events presented perfections. The hard-work and efforts put in by students throughout the year were made absolutely apparent, with the performances only improving successively from Reverie to Tempest to Mecca.
As it was a first experience for many of us, it was also some people’s third and final time celebrating companionship and love and joy at a concert in their college. “This season has always been a blast. It is so difficult to believe that it has finally come to an end. But I feel that despite my third year, this was a first experience and it was superb. So I guess we could call this a first too!” said Bakhtawar Iqbal from Hindu College as he exited from the scintillating Vishal-Shekhar concert at his college, one last time.
There is some simple yet elevated joy in this season; something that I felt so strongly, something that I cannot wait to feel again. What about you?
Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat
Confluence’19 kickstarted with a plethora of events across different venues around the campus.
On Saturday, 9th March 2019, the auditorium of Hansraj College saw back-to-back dance competitions organised by the dance societies of the host institute.
Choreo’19- the choreography competition organised by Terpsi Chorean saw participation from five teams. The competition, adjudged by Mr. Batra, Artistic Director and Co-founder “Right Moves Academy of Dance”, saw mesmerising and meaningful performances by each team. LSR Dancesoc’s annual production- Trans bagged the first position while, Srijya’s Valiant from Hindu College came second. Sparx from Gargi College was given a special mention.
Oorja, the western dance society of Hansraj College organised Groove, a western dance competition. The event clashed with SRCC’s western dance competition hence saw slotting issues, where performances happened according to their designated slots at SRCC. The competition saw 10 teams perform with great gusto and zeal. The event was adjudged by Mr. Ravi Verma, founder of United Grooves.
Crunk from Aurobindo College came first while Spardha from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College came second. The crowd cheered in excitement for the winners.
After all the performances, Anurag Kashyap, Director and Producer came to light the inaugural diya, and had a brief interaction with the audience.
Con Qurso 2019, the annual two-day quiz competition was organized by Illuminati, the quizzing society of the college. On the first day of the fest, the students were quizzed on their knowledge of the topics- ‘India’ and ‘Sports’. This competition was met with much fervour and participation as over 100 students took part in the quiz and put their knowledge on the test. In the ‘India’ quiz, Nayan Kashyap from Kirorimal College and Pragati Nautiyal from Miranda House bagged the first position, while Ashish Singh from Ramjas College and Kanika Yadav from Miranda were given the second position. Trailing a little behind, Basab Ranjan Dahal and Amlan Sarkar from Ramjas College got the third position. Gokul S from Delhi School of Economics won the first prize in the ‘Sports’ quiz. Ravtej Singh from IIM-B and Harshit Sachdeva from Hansraj College bagged the second position, while Kartikay Chadha and Arunesh Gupta from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology grabbed the third position.
The annual event of the college’s NSS, Utsav ’19 splashed vibrancy and colours of Bollywood all around. The LP of the college reverberated with enthusiasm as students actively took part in various fun games organized by the NSS team adhering to their theme, ‘Bollywood’. On spot dance competition ‘Let’s Nacho’, C.D. painting competition, treasure hunt among others kept the students hooked. NSS, through it’s display board and various stalls highlighted the sundry humanitarian projects which they have undertaken over the years. These included the likes of Project Jugnu Stall, project Aahar and others.
Taal Tarang, folk dance competition organised by Kavyaakriti saw glorious performances by 11 teams from across different colleges. The first position was bagged by Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, while the second position was shared by Shri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College and Nrityakriti from Maitreyi College.
Jashn-e-Hansraj came to an end with a soulful performance by popular Sufi music artiste group- Nizami Brothers. The group sang famous qawwalis like Sufi Rashq-e-kamar, Khwaja mere khwaja, Bhar do jholi meri, among others. Their playful recitation of shayaris (poetic lines) in between the songs added a flavour of humourous connection for the audience. The night closed on the raga of enthusiasm and joy with their enthralling music.
The beginning of a new year is followed by a whole new semester to look forward to. New semesters can be a lot of fun, but extremely demanding and confusing at the same time.
Right after the New Year has been welcomed, and the party shoes have been carefully taken off and kept back in the cupboard for another year, the new semester begins without much of a wait. The semester break granted seems too short, and the idea of getting back into the grind is almost painful. Sleeping seems like the best option, the cold only aggravating the situation. The freshers are now well-acquainted with college life, and do not seem to harbour the same kind of curiosity, the sparkle almost completely lost from their eyes now.
New semesters also mean the arrival of the much-awaited fest season. The usual college hopping to check out the happenings, pestering your friends from SRCC or LSR to get you passes to their fests, skipping classes to go to North Campus from South Campus. Students who are a part of a society might find their hands full, as this is the busiest time of the year for extra-curricular activities. The various cuisines, exciting games, attractive people, and engaging performances, create an enchanting atmosphere. People from all over the country come to attend the brilliant shows put on by Delhi University colleges. No expense is spared to make fests the brilliant affairs that they are.
However, competitions of various kinds, fests, after-parties, and the unnecessary bunking of classes eventually comes to an end. What follows is a feeling of emptiness, and a general glooms overcomes the same people, and buildings, which were once covered in gold streamers. Once individuals and institutions are striped of their decorations and party-faces, getting back to a routine becomes a task. The good old blues, associated with mundanity, kick in, and the anxiety of existence slowly creeps back in.
One finds themselves short of attendance at the end of it all, be it society or a non-society member. Academics take a backseat, and one may find themselves cursing their decisions during end semester exams, for not being more vigilant. Moreover, it doesn’t help that the semester is shorter. The duration might not seem like a huge problem at the beginning, but towards the end, when the end-semester pangs set in, you would be wishing for more time.
The only piece of solid advice here would be to relish this time as much as you can, since you are only young once. Managing your time efficiently during this period, is also imperative, along with the ‘fun’ part. After all, attending lectures, and learning new things, can also be as much fun as dancing till dawn to EDM. The goal lies in defeating the ever-present semester blues, and facing each day with as much zeal as possible.
Too many things packed into five months would just fly by in a wink and one does not really want to be seen wishing for lost time back.
Montage 2018 was held at Jesus and Mary College on 16th-17th February 2018. Here are the highlights from the same:
Montage’18, the annual cultural fest of Jesus and Mary College (JMC) held on 16th and 17th February, was inaugurated by Sister Rosily, Principal and Sister Lawrence, Superior General of the college. The lighting of the lamp ceremony was initiated by the sisters and the teachers followed while Tarannum, the Indian Music Society of JMC, performed on the stage and then the fest declared open by the Student Union.
Ashwamedh, the theatre society of Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) kick-started Stagecraft, the stage play competition, Ibtida of Hindu College won the prize and cash money of INR 10000. The best male actor award was given to Akshay Raheja of SSCBS and female actor went to Devanshi Khanna of Hindu College respectively.
#ResultUpdate | Ibtida, the dramatics society of Hindu College were declared the winners of the Stage Play Competition at @montagejmc. Photo by Piyush Dua for DU Beat. pic.twitter.com/28NaKc2DNH — DU Beat (@du_beat) February 16, 2018
The most coveted, insightful, and fun-filled event of the day, Awaaz ’18 was hosted by Kahkasha, Hindi Dramatics Society of JMC. The first prize was bagged by DramaNomics, the Theatre Society of College of Vocational Studies, whose heart-wrenching performance on ‘rape’ shook the audience. Lady Shri Ram College for Women finished second performing on the crucial issue of ‘Body-Shaming’. Abhivyakti, the dramatics society of Indraprastha College for Women, was awarded consolation prize for their special performance on the theme of ‘Body-Shaming’.
Engaging the audience in their aesthetic rendition of the Bihu dance, the team from Kamla Nehru College was the curtain-raiser for the group dance competition of Montage. Nrityangana of Sri Venkateswara College bagged the first place, while SGTB Khalsa College won the second position. Maitreyi College secured the third position.
#ResultUpdate | Indian Folk Dance Competition just finished at Montage’18, at JMC! Nrityangana of Sri Venkateswara College bagged the first place, while SGTB Khalsa College won the second position. Maitreyi College secured the third position. Credits: Akarsh Mathur for DU Beat pic.twitter.com/iFMK7GLeI4 — DU Beat (@du_beat) February 16, 2018
In the A capella competition Finding Do Re Mi, The Western Music Society of Lady Shri Ram College of Women was awarded the first position as they sang “Show me how you Burlesque” by Christina Aguilera. Dhwani of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies won the second position in the same event.
The second day of Montage 2018 began on a musical note with Swaraangan, the Indian Musical Choir competition of Jesus and Mary College. 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.
The highlight of the day was Chimera, the choreography competition hosted by Western Dance Society of JMC. Judges Benjamin Jacob and Himanshu Sharma announced Sparx of Gargi College as the winner. Terpsi Chorean of Hansraj College grabbed the second prize.
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’. 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.
