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Happiness Society: A Society for Your Mental Health

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With some serious facts staring at us in the face, how are our educational structures evolving to cater to the deteriorating mental health?

In a study conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO) late last year, we were made aware of some devastating facts. India is one of the most depressed countries in the world, over five crore people suffer from mental health disorders and we recorded one of the highest numbers of work-place stress cases. From the 21st century, problems faced by teenagers have changed from excess alcohol consumption and teenage pregnancy to bullying, stress, depression, and body image and self-esteem issues. Distorted ideas of productivity, social media platforms, social stigma attached to mental health have all contributed to this, but our textbooks give the idea that these problems simply do not exist. The content in books in school, colleges and Universities remains largely outdated.

Societies can prove to be a good medium in college to initiate change. They can go beyond being performing and competitive, to providing guidance and support to students who need it. The biggest risk attached to mental health issues is that they are not visible, and so, regularly meeting people, developing friendships, finding a confidante can help in reducing stress.

Nithya, the President of Friends’ Corner of Hindu College, explained the impact of the society and peer counselling, “One can be an effective, empathetic listener, and a great shoulder to cry on among their own peers. We strive to make the college more empathetic, by making them realise every person is fighting their own battles, and if you are struggling, you are not alone. Conversations and sharing can really help in making individuals realise how similar their thoughts, anxieties and worries are.”

The Friends’ Corner also has a Good Vibes tree in the campus for freshers, who expressed on different coloured sheets representative of different emotions, how they felt on their first day,  which was then put up on the tree. Beyond having discussions, group sessions, and a flagship event: ‘Mental Health Summit’, they also have a page called “Humans of Hindu” for people to share their life stories.

A cell or society working towards mental health can prove to be very beneficial for the whole college. It can begin with a small step of approaching your administration. Discussions and talks can take place on individual problems, mental health issues and the society, stigmas, therapy and support groups. In order to create a safe space, confidentiality becomes a key factor, so certain measures can be taken to ensure that members can have a medium to vent in privacy as well. The society needs to be run by dedicated and proactive students to prevent it from become an inactive society.

In no way does this cell or society take the place of a counsellor or therapist. The dire need for college counsellors still remains and needs to be stressed on. Most colleges either lack a counsellor or have a temporary one, often close to no student approach this largely unavailable counsellor, and the whole process goes in vain. But this (society) can become a facilitator in that journey of betterment. Furthermore, creating these spaces can also set a chain reaction in other colleges. With around 90 colleges in DU, the reach can be tremendous. One can also reach out to other colleges, like Hindu College, to know more about a mental health and counselling cell.

Recently what gained traction was the introduction of a six-month certificate course on Happiness in Ramanujan College. It is a free of cost course, for which forty-five students have already been enrolled. It will judge students based on their attendance, project and course work. This step sets precedence for other institutes to also follow its lead.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal introduced Happiness Curriculum till class eighth in all government schools. This pioneering step will tackle mental health problems from a young age, yet for now it stands the test of time.

While the reason behind mental health deterioration are many, it has been romanticised by shows and memes, further aggravated by our economy and job pressures, and absence of acceptance. When the recent budget came out, I anticipated whether our country would also take a step like New Zealand. In a revolutionary step, Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s Well Being budget prioritised poverty and mental health. What cannot be ignored is that this issue creeps in through some crevices. Different steps are being taken, but more comprehensive and structural changes need to be brought by all bodies, including our University.

Feature Image Credits: The Central Digest

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

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Admissions

Live! DU Releases Fifth Cut-off List

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The University of Delhi has released the fifth cut-off list today on the official website.

The admission under the DU 4th cut-off list ended ended on June 17th. The DU 5th cut-off list will be all about filling the seats in the reserved category in most colleges.

So far, the University has filled 67,419 seats out of the total 62,000. After the release of DU 5th cut-off, the admissions will take place from July 20, which will also be the first day for those who have already completed the admission process.

The candidates should note that this year, the university will notify just five cut-off lists.

Check this space for the latest updates on the fifth cut-off.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list P.G.D.A.V. (E) College.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list for Gargi College.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list for Satyawati College.

Click here to check the fifth cut-off list for Shyam Lal College.

Click below to check the comprehensive fifth cut-off lists:

Arts & Commerce

Science

B.A. Programme

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DUB Speak

A Guide to DU Protest Culture: Responsibility to Dissent

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The University of Delhi (DU) can be a social laboratory to understand how democratic processes work. But sustaining this laboratory needs effort.

 You could have been in any other university in India or even abroad – some arguably better, and some worse than DU.

But now that you have ended up here, just like thousands of others from all corners of the country, you have a chance of understanding how democracy and dissent work. That is not to say that this is something exclusive to DU – indeed, it might not even be the best in equipping you with this understanding – but, this is one highlight of this university.

If you choose to, you can allow yourself to be bombarded by a multitude of varying, often conflicting ideologies and thoughts. The sheer magnitude and diversity of people who study in this University is enough of an indicator of how many different kinds of ideas can flourish in and out of its walls. If you don’t choose to live under a rock, this will invariably challenge many beliefs and biases, predilections and prejudices, opinions and outlooks that you might have. Even though soaking in so many conflicting ideas becomes difficult at first, this kind of internal dissent is absolutely necessary for those who wish to have clearer and truer perspectives about issues and who wish to refine their understandings and solidify their arguments.

This “internal dissent” is a much longer, drawn-out process and is just one part of the whole picture though. The other part is the live physical manifestations of dissent that are not rare in the University by any account. You will see students, teachers and others protesting about issues and problems, the impacts of which on people would have probably never occurred to you before.

When various student organisations came together to support the contractual sanitation workers of the university, who, after years of their job, faced the risk of termination and loss of livelihood, it told you how routine official tasks like a change of contract from one company to another can have human costs. When students and teachers protested against the 13 point roster system of teachers’ appointments or against privatisation, it spoke of a struggle to ensure representation and the presence of diversity on our campuses. When sides clashed over the Virgin Tree pooja controversy at Hindu College, it exemplified not only ideological differences but also how conflicting parties act out those differences in politics. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

The University can be a social laboratory to understand how democratic processes work, but sustaining this laboratory needs effort. It’s disheartening to see very few people showing up to many such protests. Many come and attend classes and go back, without fostering this democratic engagement. Many issues slide by. Unresponsive authorities sometimes make protests ineffective.

In this context, it becomes the prerogative of students to make sure a culture of democratic discussion, questioning and peaceful dissent is fostered and sustained. The most crucial step that authorities take to keep themselves safe is suppression of dissent. Orwell’s 1984 comes to mind.

Thankfully, we are not in Oceania and can hence dissent against the wrongdoings to keep the authorities in check. Question what you are taught and not taught; question the authorities; question ideologues and ideologies. Question the protests, and question the media as well.

 

Feature Image credits: Prateek Pankaj for DU Beat

 

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

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Campus Central

Adityanath Agrees to Fund New DU Hostel

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University of Delhi is set to get a new hostel, as a proposal by the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) President Shakti Singh is approved by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to allocate funds of INR 48 crore.

According to a press release by the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister (CM) of Uttar Pradesh is set to provide INR 48 crore for a new University of Delhi’s (DU) Hostel.

A proposal by Shakti Singh dated the 10th of June was approved by CM Yogi Adityanath the same day. The proposal addresses the difficulties faced by DU students while looking for student accommodation. The proposal also highlights that only 1-2% of students from Uttar Pradesh get hostel accommodation.

The new hostel requires approximately 3 acres of land to be built. The hostel is said to have 500 seats, and sports facilities over INR 3 crore. The total cost, including overhead charges amounts to INR 48 crore. The hostel is set to be constructed on the Uttar Pradesh government’s land in Delhi.

DUSU President Shakti Singh said on Twitter, “A big thank you to CM Yogi Adityanath Ji. I am highly thankful to you for the assurance of sanction of (INR) 48 Crore for the budget to build hostels for students of Uttar Pradesh in Delhi-NCR. It would be one major step towards accommodation.”

The promise of a new hostel brings relief to students even though the dates of construction and its unveiling remain unclear.  Finding cheap accommodation on campus, or in Delhi is not easy for the regular DU student. With rising costs of commercial accomodations (Paying Guests), and limited number of seats in the hostel, students are left with no choice but to opt for private accommodation which usually burns a hole in their pocket. In some cases, students are also subjected to harassment by brokers and landlords.

The move sounds promising, as currently, the University hostels lack various facilities, and the number of seats remains low. The University also has a history of protests related to the hostels, with the recent ones being the Hindu College hostel and the Daulat Ram College hostel rows. This move also leaves one wondering if the implementation of the new hostel would mean a revision in the current hostel rules and guidelines.

Feature Image Credits: Shakti Singh on Twitter

Jaishree Kumar

[email protected]

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Admissions

Course Profile: Cluster Innovation Centre

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The Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) is an institution of University of Delhi, established in 2011. Based on interdisciplinary learning, it has been designed to seek and derive answers to the real world problems in all spheres, and look for innovative solutions for problems of the society.

It is a Meta College as well as a Meta University concept with an innovative curriculum, which is more project-oriented and tailored to the need of the society and industry.

Located in the quaint premises of Rugby Sevens Building, University Stadium in North Campus, it is a promising course for students who wish to seek the connect of research with its practical application.

COURSES OFFERED AT CLUSTER INNOVATION CENTRE:

Currently there are three courses offered at CIC-

  1. B.A. (Honours) Humanities and Social Sciences
  2. B. Tech (IT and Mathematical Innovations)
  3. M.Sc. (Mathematics Education)

SEAT MATRIX FOR B.A. AND B. TECH COURSE:

In 2019 – 20 there will be 44 seats each in both the courses. They are distributed as:

General Category – 20 seats

EWS – 2 seats

OBC Category – 12 seats

SC Category – 7 seats

ST Category – 3 seats

Apart from these there are 6 supernumerary seats distributed as:

PwD Category – 2 seats

CW Category – 2 seats

Foreign Nationals – 2 seats

 

  • B.A.(Honours) Humanities and Social Sciences

This is an off-beat course compared to other regular honours programmes offered by University of Delhi.  It is based on interdisciplinary learning, which presents an opportunity to the student to design his/her own degree.

This course is divided into four streams:

  1. Journalism
  2. Counselling
  3. Historical Tourism
  4. Art & Design

Based on these four streams a student can study a variety of subjects offered in different colleges of University of Delhi in semesters two to five, and study some basic courses at the centre itself in semester one and six. Apart from the core papers, the distinctive aspect of the curriculum is the hands-on research project, which gives the students a grass-root level experience of the functionality of the society.

One can schematically study Political Science at Hindu College in one semester and Economics at SRCC in another! The interdisciplinary nature of the course gives a holistic view in the field of humanities and social sciences.

Commenting on the course, Rishabh Gogoi, a third year student of CIC says, “It’s unlike any other course in the country, and a much needed alternative in an otherwise restrictive education system. We all know the efforts of the University of Delhi to enhance the flexibility of its course structure through the Credit Based Credit System (CBCS). The course at CIC takes the same concept several steps ahead to present its scholars an absolute freedom to design their own degree. Although there are a number of nuances associated with the aforementioned “freedom”, but regardless, the B.A. course at CIC is undoubtedly the best decision any indecisive student can make who wants to study humanities and/or social sciences.”

Niharika Dabral, an outgoing student of CIC reminisces her experience at CIC as, “I would never change my experience at CIC for anything. It’s a college experience like none other. Since I’ve survived the project presentations I think I can survive anything. It has been intense.

There are so many things that have to improve, but that University stadium is comfort. Four colleges in six semesters is bound to make one like a nomad, but today I’m more independent than ever.”

However, a person may feel detached and have a certain sense of instability due to changing colleges in each semester, from semester two to five. It may not be the best fit option for students not willing to feel so.  But this rigorous course would surely develop leadership qualities and improve one’s perspective towards humanities and social sciences.

  • B. Tech (IT & Mathematical Innovations)

Cluster Innovation Centre offers a four-year B.Tech. programme in Information Technology & Mathematical Innovation.

According to the official website of CIC, “The B. Tech course offered is a unique programme, is designed to inculcate an innovation mind-set as part of the curriculum and pedagogy. Building strong analytical skills through Mathematics and application skills of Information Technology (IT), this course encourages students to recognize the connectedness of various disciplines.”

The streams offered in the B. Tech programme are-

  1. Robotics and Embedded Systems
  2. Economics and Management
  3. System Biology

The innovation lab known as the “Engineering Kitchen” is the place where students carry out hands-on projects, experiments and model implementations which are linked to the curriculum.

Yatharth Rai, a third year student from B. Tech. says, “The curriculum, although hectic, is quite flexible. The three minor streams grant a clarity. There is a focus on practical applications, rather than theoretical expertise. Each paper in the semester has an accompanying project. I personally find these projects extremely beneficial as they provide an outlet to the theoretical concepts learnt during the semester paper.”

The B.Tech course offered is comprehensive with a special emphasis given on practical learning. In last semester of the course i.e. 8th semester, the programme is based on industrial internship to give students the necessary work experience.

Unlike other B. Tech courses, a student of Arts or Commerce having Mathematics and English can apply in the B.Tech (IT and Mathematical Innovations) course on the condition that he/she fulfils the eligibility criteria as laid down by the Cluster Innovation Centre.

  • M.Sc. (Mathematics Education)

It is a meta-university concept, which offers a two year post graduate programme jointly offered by University of Delhi and Jamia Milia Islamia. The course is developed to give students theoretical as well as hands-on experience of mathematics education.

There are total 20 seats in the programme distributed as:

University of Delhi: 10

Jamia Millia Islamia: 10

Seat Matrix:

 

IMG-20190612-WA0046

  

Source: www.ducic.ac.in

All the three courses offered at Cluster Innovation Centre are uniquely designed and promote hands-on learning in addition to building theoretical concepts. Therefore, these courses offer a different experience of academics altogether.

Selection to these courses is based on an entrance test which is to be conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) this year.

The entrances for the Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes are to be conducted between 30th June, 2019 – 6th July, 2019.

Feature Image Credits: www.ducic.ac.in

Sriya Rane

[email protected]

 

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Campus Central

Errors in Econometrics Exam Creates Panic Among Students

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The Econometrics exam of second-year B.A (Hons.) Economics was conducted on 22nd May 2019. It had a lot of errors which created a problem for many students.

The last exam of B.A. (Hons) Economics for the fourth semester students was conducted by the University on 22nd May 2019.  According to sources, the Econometrics question paper was full of errors which created a lot of confusion among the students. In Jesus and Mary College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam College, and Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, students were informed about the corrections around 11:40 a.m. which was very late. By that time it was not feasible to attempt the questions according to the new changes. However, many colleges like Hindu College and Deshbandhu College did not receive the corrections at all.

In one of the questions, there was a change of sign from ‘+’ (positive sign) to ‘-’ (negative sign). This created a huge problem for those students who had already attempted the question with the positive sign since the paper was extremely lengthy. Moreover, the students were not left with any time to make the changes.

Riya, a student of Maitreyi College said, “Due to the hassle of errors and corrections in the exam, the students sitting in the examination hall felt distracted and I found it harder to concentrate. One of the corrections came around 10:30 a.m. or 10:45 a.m. I had already attempted half of that question. After the change in the signs, I had almost no time to redo the question since the paper was lengthy in itself.”

A student of Hindu College informed DU Beat that the students were not informed about any corrections and the exam was pretty easy. However,  the students are now worried about their marks since the paper they attempted wasn’t uniform with the other colleges.

According to a student of Kamala Nehru College, except for the first and second question, all the other questions had major errors. “There were corrections or clarifications in almost every question and the usual format of writing standard errors below the estimated error further below the estimated parameters was not followed which led to confusions. Some questions also had wrong signs of ‘T ratios’ but since there wasn’t much time, nothing could be done about it”, said Sanjana Sejwal, a student of Kamala Nehru College.

However, another student of Kamala Nehru College says, “The errors in the questions I attempted were general so I did not face much problem. The changes in the answers were also a matter of few minutes. So overall the exam was fine for me.”

It is also important that the University should recheck the question papers for any corrections beforehand so that the students do not face any problem during the examination. Making corrections in the question paper at the last moment also leads to low confidence level during the exams. Announcing the corrections in the examination hall distracts many students and creates a panicky situation.

A similar situation arose in the General Elective exam where there was a change in the format of the question paper and students were supposed to attempt five questions out of eight instead of four. It must be noted that some colleges asked students to attempt only four questions whereas students of other colleges were asked to attempt five questions.

However, it is necessary that the University and the Examination Committee looks into the matter and work out a solution which helps the students.

 

Feature Image Credits: Edexlive

Priya Chauhan

[email protected].

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Campus Central

NIRF Ranking 2019: Delhi’s Miranda House and Hindu college ranked as Top colleges

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The Ministry of Human Resource and development released its fourth edition of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) which was announced by President Ram Nath Kovind.

The Top Institute (overall) position was given to Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) whereas Delhi University’s Miranda House topped the list of colleges and Hindu College was ranked second. This year, six colleges of Delhi University featured in the top 10 which included St. Stephens College, Lady Shri Ram College, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Hansraj College and were respectively ranked as second, fourth, fifth, seventh and ninth.

“The credits for achieving this feat belongs to foremost the Principal of our college, the phenomenal support of the professors and obviously students who played a major role in achieving this position by participating in classes as well as in learning process outside the classes.” Says Prof. R.B. Azad Choudhary of Hindu college.

While Miranda managed a glorious hattrick for itself by taking the first position, Delhi University’s other 22 colleges also managed to get featured in the list of Top 100 colleges of India.

Snimar, the Vice president of Miranda House said, “I think I speak for every Mirandian when I say that we are more than proud to be recognised as the best college in India for the third time in a row. The atmosphere and environment of Miranda House, the inclusivity, the wonderful faculty, our former Principal and our acting Principal have all been a huge part of this success.”

However, as compared to previous year when Delhi University was ranked seventh amongst top universities of India, this year it saw its position dipping to that of 13th .

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) featured at seventh in overall category and bagged second rank in the Top 10 universities of India whereas the first rank in this category went to Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. IIT-Delhi was placed third in the overall category whereas was ranked second in Top 10 engineering institutions. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) retains its position as Top Medical Institute of India.

Nikita Mohta, a student of Miranda house sums up the excitement in these words, “I am privileged, blessed and grateful to be at an institution with this repute. While I couldn’t be happier, I also know that on other side this is a fraction of the women in the country receiving quality education. The rankings speak of the capabilities of women today and how we need to work for the education of every girl child in the country.”

Image credits: DU Beat archives.

Antriksha Pathania
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Campus Central

In a First, Hindu College Provides Office Space for Leader of Opposition  

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On 12 March, the Leader of Opposition of the Parliament of Hindu College was allotted an office space, for the first time in the Parliament’s near hundred-year-old history. How significant would this be?

A day before Hindu College’s annual fest, Mecca, Naveen Kumar, the Leader of Opposition of the College Parliament, proudly announced on his official Facebook page the allotment of a formal office space to the parliamentary representative.

Unlike many students’ unions, Hindu College has a Parliament – christened the ‘Parliament of the Republic of Hindu College’ – to which the student elections are held. According to the constitution of the college, the candidate with the maximum number of votes is elected as the Prime Minister (PM), who then appoints his Cabinet, while the candidate securing the second highest number of votes becomes the Leader of Opposition (LOP). The same constitution also provides for formal office spaces to both functionaries. However, while the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had been in place in the college, the office of the LOP had been absent till now.

Image Source: Facebook Naveen Kumar, the incumbent Leader of Opposition of Hindu College.
Image Source: Facebook
Naveen Kumar, the incumbent Leader of Opposition of Hindu College.

The situation changed under Naveen’s incumbency. He tells us that he had been at work since September to get the space allotted. While his term is about to end soon, he hopes that the new development will benefit the subsequent LOPs.

Often, the margin between the votes pulled in by the PM and the LOP respectively isn’t very significant numerically. Naveen, who lost to Shreyash Mishra, the Prime Minister, fell only 44 votes short. Hence, the LOP also represents a major chunk of the students, as Naveen tells DU Beat, making an office space all the more necessary.

Elaborating on the significance of the office, he says that it would allow students to raise grievances and make the LOP more accessible so that their complaints could be better addressed – ultimately increasing accountability of the representatives, while also enhancing the significance of the position itself.

However, a problem that still persists is the low number of Parliamentary sessions organised in the college. Many students express this sentiment: a college that once was an intellectual centre of the nationalist movement, now sees its culture of debate and discussion declining. Without Parliamentary sessions, one is made to wonder if the representatives can actually be held accountable and whether the politics of the college could go beyond Mecca to addressing more pressing issues.

Pointing at how the office has been a long time in the making, Naveen says, “People tell me that it took a long time and that my term is ending; I tell them it’s been a hundred and twenty years since the college was established. Compared to that, the few months of my term are nothing!”

Image Credits: DU Beat

Prateek Pankaj

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Cultural Festivals

A Fantastic Finale: Mecca 2019 Day 3

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The final day at Mecca was a spectacular display of glamour and celebrations. Vishal-Shekhar duo had the massive crowd crooning and dancing to their beats; a brilliant end to Mecca.

The third and last day at Mecca 2019 witnessed a multitude of events being organised throughout the college. From the first two days dedicated to dance and bands, the third day was all about music and theatre.

Karwan-E-Shaqafat, a gathering to celebrate the multicultural identity of Hindu College was organised in the Zoology Lawns by the Parliament. The event saw the participants performing classical dance forms and various other cultural performances.

Mecca also hosted massive participation on day three – in terms of the crowd. The huge sports complex was brimming with Hinduites and Non-Hinduites likewise. However, given the special space reserved for Hinduites, and also, the college IDs being checked by faculty members multiple times before the entry into the concert ensured minimum foolery. “The huge crowd was managed well. There have been instances where concerts have been unsafe spaces for women.” said a third-year student from Hindu College.

Champrange, the A Capella event was organized by Aria, the Western Music Society of Hindu College which saw the participation of several teams from various colleges. The first position was bagged by Euphony of Gargi College followed by Cresendo of Sri Ventakeswara College at the second position and Echo of Jesus and Mary College at the third position.

The third and final day of Mecca continued in high spirits. The day kick-started with arpeggio ’19 by Aria: the western music society of Hindu college followed by the western music solo competition.
Chudamani Iyer Akshara from Lady Shri ram college for women secured the first place, Raphroyia Kayina from Gargi College secured the second place and Khushi Pallavu from Jesus and Mary College secured the third place.

Alankaar, the Indian music organised Harmony ’19 for their search for Mecca Idol. The event was followed by Raagmala, a group singing competition. Daulat Ram College’s Ahaalya stood first along with Alaap of Sri Venkateswara College. The second position was shared between Miranda House’s Swaranjali and Hansraj College’s Geetanjali. The third position was shared between SGTB Khalsa College’s Swarang and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies’ Dhwani.

At the historical Ibtida lawns, street theatre found life once again as many societies delivered their last performances for the season. The street theatre competition by Mecca in collaboration with Ibtida, the dramatics society of Hindu college saw participation of over 15 teams. The event ended with ibtida’s street production ‘outvoted’. The first position was secured by Et cetra- the dramatics society of GTBIT for their production “Don’t kill my vibe”. Kahkasha, the Hindi dramatics society of Jesus and Mary College secured the second position and the SRCC dramatics society secured the third position.

Alankaar, the Indian Music Society of Hindu College organized a solo singing competition named Mecca Idol which was judged by Pavitra Chari. The room echoed with canorous music when eleven contestants from various colleges gave their euphonic performances to win the title of “Mecca Idol”. Sakshi Taneja of Lady Shri Ram College bagged the first position while Sukriti Poddar of Gargi College came second and Dakshraj Sharma of Maharaja Agrasen College got the third position.

The Parliament of Hindu College in collaboration with Nakshatra, the Fashion Society organized a competition to crown Mr. and Ms. Mecca. The event was conducted in three rounds. The first was an online round followed by an introductory round and a question and answer round with the esteemed panel of judges which included Mamta Sharma Das, who is a Creative Stylist and the founder of Viva la Vida and Pooja Chopra, who was crowned as Health Queen India, 2018 and is the founder of PNA Origine. The highlight of the event was a ramp walk by the judges themselves. The title of Mr. Mecca was bagged by Yaduvansh whereas Suhani was given the title of Ms. Mecca.

Ibtida: The Dramatics Society also presented their powerful annual production titled ‘Outvoted’ at the Street Play event. A satire on the Indian politics, this performance was Ibtida’s outgoing batch’s last performance. The crowd cheered and connected with the emotional Ibtida team and celebrated along.

Panache, the fashion show competition organised by Nakshatra, the fashion society of Hindu College was adjudged by Mr. Viren Barman, Mr. India 2017, Ms. Mamta Sharma Das, creative stylist and founder Vive La Vida and Ms. Aishwarya Sharma, fashion and lifestyle blogger. The event saw participation from 9 teams which showcased their annual productions on themes ranging from Nature vs Technology to Depression. Debonair, fashion society of Daulat Ram College bagged the first position while Glitz from Kamala Nehru College came second.

To deliver the perfect finale, the crowd could not have asked for anyone better than the superb duo of Vishal and Shekhar. Performing some of their best tracks from Bollywood and their Coke Studio project, the duo had the crowd enraptured. The performance shortly also moved to a patriotic avenue as the band accompanying the duo performed ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha’. Both of the singers declared their gratitude towards an aazing crowd.

Kartik Chauhan 

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Sakshi Arora

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Priya Chauhan

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Jaishree Kumar
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Cultural Festivals

Mecca Day 2: Drizzles and Dazzles

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Day 2 of Mecca, the annual cultural fest of Hindu College saw various music and dance competition and ended on a glorious note with Papon’s magical performance, Let’s look at the events that took place.

The unfortunate and perplexed weather conditions delayed many of the events at Mecca Day 2. However, despite the erratic weather shifting between sunlit and dewy, Hindu College hosted a massive crowd in its premises.

One of the first events to start today was Jagerbob: Battle of Bands organised by Aria: The Western Music Society. The event witnessed amazing musical performances by various societies from across the varsity.
The light drizzle managed to delay the event but failed to drizzle on the spirits of the performers. The winning band Firdaus from Ramjas College presented a deservingly winning performance. Anhad from Keshav Mahavidyala finished second.
Aarambh, the western dance society of Hindu College organised Firestone, the western dance competition as part of its Annual Dance fest “Aramya” sponsored by OMC, Insight One, Love Grill and Ozone. The event saw participation from 13 teams from across different colleges which was adjudged by Mr Sahil Aneja aka Sazzie, founder of BADA and a Dance India Dance participant. The auditorium was full of enthusiastic dance lovers who enjoyed all the dynamic performances. Enliven, the western dance society of Gargi College came first while the second position was shared by Spardha from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and CVS Zest.
Also, as a part of “Aramya” Srijya, the choreography society of Hindu College organised Finesse, the choreography competition. This event was judged by Ms Jhilmil Modi, a trained dancer in Jazz, ballet and contemporary who has been teaching in Danceworx Academy and is currently heading the GK-1 studio along with Ragini Bhajanka, who has performed in various pieces of the Danceworx Company Repertoire choreographed by many Indian and International artists. LSR Dancesoc came first while second position was bagged by Sensation from Kirori Mal College and Adagio from Kamala Nehru College came third.

Alankaar, the Indian Music Society of Hindu College, organised two magnificent competitions. The perfect ambience was created with the venue covered with black sheets and fairy lights adorning the room, echoing with heartwarming music. First was the instrumental solo competition, where Soumendra from Sri Venkateshwara College emerged as the winner. Rohan Prasanna from Hansraj College and Nandu Krishnan from Satyawati College were awarded the second and third position.
The same society organised Jugalbandi, the duet competition where Upasna and Padmaja from Indraprastha College for Women bagged the first position with their soulful and splendid music. Shounak, from Ramjas College, and Nandu, from Satyawati College stood second. Daulat Ram College’s Navya and Vasudha came in third with their melody.

The Zoology Lawns hosted Snap, the annual photo exhibition of the college. Organised by Vivre: The Film and Photography Society, the exhibit saw some splendid shots clicked by the society members on display. Covering themes like culture, light, and symmetry, the exhibit was a vision for the eyes. Vivre also organised an On The Spot Photography Competition and a Film-making Competition with a unique one-minute movie-making concept. The results for both the events are awaited.
Manthan, Hindu College’s Quiz Society organised it’s quiz competition on the theme India. A team comprising of Kanika Yadav, from Miranda House College, and Ashish Singh, from Ramjas College, emerged as the winners of the competition. Abhishek Paliwal, from Ramjas College and Adil Jacob, from Jamia Milia Islamia University comprised the team coming second.
Day 2 of Mecca came to an end with Papon’s musically enchanting performance, opened by the band “Shadow and Light”, powered by Redbull Music India. Papon captivated the audience with his Assamese songs that won the crowd over, as everyone performed their own versions of Bihu. The crowd enjoyed his melodious tunes when he sang some of his famous songs like ‘Itti si khushi’ and ‘Moh moh ke dhaage’. The crowd was managed well and saw no ill behaviour.

However, once during the concert, Papon mentioned, “Believe in yourself, and not everything that you see on the internet.”

There had been some conflict about Papon performing at Mecca. The alleged accusations against him that had defiled his creative image, went on to trigger questions among the audience whether it was entirely justified to participate and indulge. As observed by us, the audience had conflicting views about the issue. Some of them felt that the alleged accusations could be overlooked. However, many others were of a more strict bent of mind. Despite the wonderful performance by Papon, it could not entirely remiss the stigma attached to him due to some allegations. The idea remained that even in this conflict of art and the artist, we must maintain a sensical sensitivity about the issue.

Kartik Chauhan 

[email protected] 

Sakshi Arora

[email protected] 

Shivani Dandhwal 

[email protected]

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