Illume, the quizzing competition hosted by Sri Ram College of Commerce is currently on for another day. Today, 28th January was the first day of the competition which has been organized by the quizzing society of the college. This society comprises of about 100 members including the President, Sushant Agarwal and the Secretary, Ashish Sen. Although SRCC usually only hosts one quizzing competition, this year they’ve played hosts to two. The first quiz fest took place in September – Quizignia, and the second one being Illume. This time Illume has also seen participants from Jaipur and BITS Pilani, and for this, Sushant Agarwal gives credit to the promotions. The fest has entertained over 500 teams on the first day itself. The main sponsor for the competition is the Ministry Of Environment and Mr. B. C. Sabat, Senior Scientific Officer, is the chief guest for tomorrow.
The competition will see a total of seven categories of quizzes over these two days. The Sports Quiz, Business Quiz and the Bollywood Quiz were held on the first day (28th January). The quizmasters for the business and sports quiz were- Vijay Anand Menon, one of the leading quiz masters of our country and Arnav Sinha, another leading quizmaster and a freelance writer. The quizmaster for the Bollywood quiz was Aparshakti Khurana, Radio Jockey at 104.8 FM and also the brother of the famous Bollywood actor. The second day (29th January) will hold the following categories of quizzes: The Literature Quiz, Cricket Quiz, General Quiz and Environment Quiz. One can register
themselves online, or even on the spot to participate in any of the categories of quizzes. Tomorrow, i.e. 29th January, the day will start at 9A.M.]]>
“The only festival that celebrates the artistic you, and lets you discover new horizons. Histrionica is about you, me and us. Four Days of celebrating life”
A fest that inspires such a plethora of emotions must definitely be something special. At the Dramatics Society of Shri Ram College of Commerce, Histrionica is nothing less than the unifying edifice on which the society is built. In the field of dramatics, and more specifically, in DU theatre, such tales of passion are what sustain the spirit of the art that they perform. And it is this spirit that shall be celebrated with full gusto, at HISTRIONICA.
Since its inception in 2004, it has been the endeavour of the Dramsoc to not remain confined by the proverbial mould of DU festivals, and hence, DIFFERENT has always been synonymous with Histrionica. It is the only festival of its kind in Delhi University, where the entire Dramatics community of DU celebrates and rejoices in each showcase as an expression of some unique creative idea and thought. And this year, Histrionica goes one step further.
Histrionica 2013, which will be taking place from the 14th to the 17th of February, promises to be the Mecca of all theatre lovers and the Holy grail of all music enthusiasts. To put it in their words, they’ve got “a li’l something for everyone.” From Charades, the Stage Play Festival, to Aahavan, the Street Event, they’ve got it all. Not only theatre, the festival this year round has a distinctly musical note to it. Livewire, a Battle of the Bands followed by a star band performance, and Saaz: the Classical Music Night will surely delight our music lovers. Apart from theatre and music, Histrionica also has a lot to offer to amateur photographers in DU. In association with the Delhi University Photography Club (DUPC), they are organizing SHUTTERS, a photography competition. And for all those who have secret dreams of acting or just like to have a bit of fun, SUM OF PARTS, the Skit Competition guarantees both. Last but not the least, comes JUST FOR LAUGHS, a comic afternoon with one of the best stand-up comedians of the country.
Looks like Histrionica 2013 is the place to be at? So follow them on their facebook page and website to know more exciting details, and also watch this space for more.
I am sure the title alone would make some of you think of quizzing as something to be afraid of. Well, many of us are. We think quizzing is only for the super intelligent or geeky people, don’t we? Well the age old plethora of serious questions would make anybody dread it. But not anymore.At Quiz society, SRCC, we make quizzing an enjoyable experience, which you would wish to relive year after year. Illume, the annual quizzing fest of QuizSoc SRCC is back, bigger and better. It will be a two day event from 28-29 January during which we will host seven quizzes in different genres. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t mugged up your history books or guzzled up G.K. journals. Whether you are a YouTube freak, Bollywood maniac, music lover or a nature enthusiast, Illume is the place for you. You name it, we have it. From biz domain to sporting world, from environment to Bollywood, from literature to cricket, we have it all. And the most challenging of all is the Fastrack Quiz, for those who know a little bit of everything. While the environment quiz is being sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, we have called in quizzing experts, Mr Vijay Menon and Mr Arnav Sinha for the other contests, to provide you with an enthralling quizzing experience. Registration is easy and quick, all you have to do is log on to the website, www.quizsocietysrcc.in, chose your preferred genre and register for a team of two. You could, and we would like you to, register for more than one genre. Do come, we have loads of exciting prizes to offer!!
Some of you may think that I am bragging a little too much, well yes I am, because I can afford to. The mega-success of the Quizignia, a general quiz, hosted by QuizSoc SRCC on 25th September 2012 saw the turnout of over 150 teams from different colleges in NCR. The huge response received during Quizignia and its subsequent successes, have inspired us to scale even greater heights for Illume. So hurry, don’t miss the chance and get yourself registered! As it is, we’ve already received over 100 registrations within the first week of the opening of the website!!
The schedule and a brief description of each quiz is given below:
January 28:
10:00 AM-Estadio, the Sports Quiz:We love sports, and we know you love sports. However, do you only watch the game, or do you actually know the game?
1:00 PM- Biz-Gust, the Business quiz:We’re a commerce college, and it’s only fitting that we host the best business quiz around. Come and explore new dimensions of the corporate sector!
3:30 PM- Mayapuri, the Bollywood Quiz: You watch movies, but do you REALLY watch movies? Yes, even Bollywood is filled with innumerable interesting facts. Come and find out more about it!
January 29:
9:30 AM- Biblios, the Literature quiz: No, this is NOT for Shakespeare and Munro fans. We want everyone to participate, so we’re keeping the list pretty standard. Harry Potter, Twilight, Lord of the Rings, Dan Brown, and Chetan Bhahat. That’s it.
11:00 AM- Edens, the Cricket Quiz: Do I really need to explain this?
1:00 PM- FasTrack, the General Quiz: The showstopper. Nothing is off limits. Hence there’s every chance of you winning it as much as the next person.
3:30 PM- Ambiente, the Environment quiz: We all know about the critical state of our environment, and in our own way we try to spread as much awareness about it as possible. This quiz is a step in that direction.
So there you have it! 7 different quizzes, 7 different quizmasters, 7 different experiences. Come, battle your wits, and above all, have fun. Looking forward to seeing you at SRCC!
Every college of Delhi University has a culture of its own which defines it. The culture is as instrumental in getting the college a ranking on the glossy pages of the most-prestigious education magazines, as it is in getting its students to feel what they do about the dynamics of the subject that is, “college and me”.
One of the most unfortunate things that could ever happen to a student, all strapping him up for the big-bad world is that he finds himself fenced in by people, fellow students he is not able to associate with. (This statement is made, notwithstanding the age-old adage- “It’s all in the mind”).
Following is what the self-confessed misfits had to say about the college they are still struggling to adapt to the ethos of.:
Shri Ram College of Commerce:
I have always been rather flippant about things and more creative and subjective than moulded into a thought frame which gives me opinions about what’s happening in this world in general. Encountering people by the dozen everyday in college, who would kill to glamorise their CVs and who swear by the “B-
plan and Case Study lexicon” in all their discussions, and with little encouragement by the college authorities to talk about activities I could more relate to, like music and Art, I have just never been able to feel that sense of belongingness to this place, or more precisely, to the crowd. Also, the course (in my case) has never been an incentive to feel happy about the place.
Lady Shri Ram College:
I longed to find nutcases of girls around me in the campus, but in vain. The girls were (with no offence meant) always prim and proper, with hair in place, and a certain “LSR twirl” on their tongues. The fantastical college world I had imagined for myself in my dreams came crumbling down when I first set foot on the grounds of this institution. I almost resigned, calling “this” part of the world extensively phony. Though I still feel lost, I think I have come to terms with the culture of the college.
College has a huge role to play when it comes to shaping the person you would be. When they regurgitate the idea of, “choosing course over college”, they’re not entirely wrong, as when the chips are down, you have the refuge of your books at least because if the college refuses to choose YOU, you’re in for trouble for the next three years of your life.
Vatsala Gaur
[email protected]
Image credits: Additi Seth
[email protected]
The one thing that is common in all Delhi University students is their tendency to dream big. Everyone wants a posh car, a big house and of course, a job that pays well and keeps them satisfied too. But some students take it a step further to actually work on their dreams by starting their own enterprises while balancing college life. Here’s presenting a few entrepreneurs of DU.
Mayank Jain of Keshav Mahavidyalya’s venture, SocialBuzzar launched in November, 2011 can be described as ‘The One-Stop Shop for all your Social Media needs!’ The team takes care of every aspect of social media marketing from content creation to campaign strategy development for a firm. With big names like McKinsey & Company and HCL already featuring in their clientele list, this undertaking is all set to take on even bigger projects in the future.
Entrepreneurs Shoury Gupta, Medha Bankhwal and Prateek Handa, students of Shri Ram College of Commerce aim to commercialise theatre and bring together students approaching expertise in finance, acting, directing set management and so on from institutes across Delhi. ‘It started with a random conversation of starting our own business. Then we realized that theatre is what we love. So why not combine theatre and business? The result was Turntable Productions’, said Gupta.Started just in February 2012, this enterprise has already staged 4 shows of a bilingual play ‘Footnotes’ at Alliance Francaise, earning a total profit of over Rs.50, 000.
Madhav Sethi, a second year student from College of Business Studies, is the brain behind Muro, an interior decoration company with a mission ‘To Poster the World’. Launched in June 2012, they can turn any wall into a canvas using themed posters, wall arrangements and single posters, amongst other products. ‘We’ve already finished quite a few individual posters and are currently working on 3 orders for full walls’, said Madhav. They plan to collaborate with interior designers and architects in the near future to expand their operations.
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After the spirited build-up on the speech day that took place on Thursday, students, unaffected by the rains that lashed the city, turned up to vote for their favoured candidates on Friday at SRCC. The candidates standing for various posts, were representing three respective panels, namely, the Hosteliers Panel, led by Rajan Chhabra, the Day Scholars’ Panel, captained by Prateek Handa, and the “V” Panel led by Vivek Jain.
The EVM results of posts for College President, General Secretary, and DU Central Councillors came out at around 2 in the afternoon, which saw Rajan Chhabra’s panel winning with a hands-down 4-0. The students winning the posts were Rajan Chhabra for College President, Ajay Kiraan for General Secretary and Amitabh Paul and Hari for DUSU CCs.
The results for the respective societies came later, and the Hosteliers’ Panel couldn’t have been happier as they won all the possible posts, bringing the statistics to 16-0.
The winning candidates were Bhanu Pratap and Priyamvad Yadav for President and Secretary respectively, Economics Society, Abhishek Vyas and Chandan Dhand for President and Secretary, English Literary Society, Satrajeet Mukherjee and Ankana Ghatak for President and Secretary, Fine Arts Society, Prajwal Bimali and Rahul Kothari for President and Secretary, Commerce Society, Ashish Mohanka and Kanika Gupta for President and Secretary respectively, Hindi Sahitya Sabha and Vardhman Jain and Lalit Chopra for President and Secretary, History and Political Science Society.
While Prajwal Bimali received the highest number of votes polled, a whopping 1112, Kanika Gupta won her post with the highest margin.
A visibly jubilant Rajan Chhabra mentioned in his speech, “We have worked hard in the past, and promise to work even harder in the future. Also, we have no hard feelings for anyone from the opposite panel, and we appreciate their efforts.”
An emotional Bhanu Pratap quoted, “It was a roller coaster ride, full of twists and turns, but those who were truthful to themselves, emerged as winners. We are looking forward to taking Ecosoc. and Srcc to greater heights.”
“What followed the announcement of the results was pure hysteria. The campus resonated with cheers of “Kunde hoye!” a South Indian victory song of sorts adopted by the hosteliers. The winning team was seen showering each other chips, supporters of the winning panel were dancing on the tables in the canteen, it was crazy!”, informed Priyansha Saxena a student.
There were also a few verbal spats here and there, but no serious aggression was seen.
While the running helter-skelter convincing people to vote, almost spamming our inbox with vote appeals and general sweat and toil paid off for some, others had to face dejection, but what was noteworthy was the spirit with which the elections were contested.
Vatsala Gaur
[email protected]
Picture credits: Swadha SIngh
18th August, 2012 an association of three publishing companies namely, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor and Francis sued Rameshwari and other such photocopy shops for selling the Xeroxed version of foreign authors’ books or “readings” without payment of Royalty. Following this incident, the readings at North Campus were banned which led to massive protests from students all across Delhi University. The students and these shops maintained that readings are sold to reduce the financial burden of the students. Where a student can get the “readings” at Rs 200 to 300 a foreign authors’ book costs around Rs 1000 to 2000, and most of the times a student needs just a chapter from the entire book.
Thus the students’ protest is partially justified. But if we examine the true scenario, we’ll find that the publishers did nothing wrong or “immoral” by banning the readings. Authors write books to communicate their idea or knowledge and in return expect a Royalty income. Similarly publishers, publish, distribute and sell books for making a profit. When the content of these books is photocopied beyond a “fair” limit, Copyright law is broken. The point is “photocopying” is not illegal, but in order to do so the sellers must get the permission or “licence” from the “Indian Copyright Collection Society” or the “Indian Reprographic Rights Organization” (IRRO) .The IRRO has set tariff (or rates) for licenses for different Institutions and Organizations for the purpose of copying. Normal rate of photocopying is Rs 12000 per institution per annum. This tariff has the approval of the Registrar of Copyright and is the Lowest in the World.
However “Readings” are not “normal photocopying”. They consist of the entire course in a semester and are generally content taken from several books which may be published by various Publishers. Where such “Course Packs” are made available, the Publishers books stop selling. Even the libraries stop buying multiple copies of the textbooks. Therefore the sale of the books is reduced affecting the income expectations of the Author and the expected return on investment for the Publishers. While a course pack may cost 300 to 400 Rupees, the value of the textbooks that the student would otherwise have to buy would be as much as Rs. 2000 to 3000. So it is a huge saving for the student at the cost of the Authors and Publishers.
Hence there is a “Course Pack” rate for Delhi University which is 50 paisa per page. That is the lowest rate for course packs in the world. If the readings are sold legally the cost of a course pack may go up a bit but still it will be lesser than having to buy 6-7 textbooks. A Rs. 200 course pack can become Rs. 300. If the University feels that this copyright fee is too much for the student, then they can subsidize by paying the IRRO directly.
In countries like UK and USA every time a library photocopies these books a little amount of the total cost is set aside for Copyright Collection Centre in the USA and the CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency) in U.K. Publishers and Authors have a right to protect their Copyright. All they are asking the Academic and Student community to do is to pay a small license fee to make photocopies. “There will always be some people who’ll want everything free but that is not sustainable. Surely the Academic and Student community does not expect a subsidy from Authors and Publishers? Without proper IRRO licensing that is what illegal photocopying amounts to” says Cambridge University Press. The “readings” are still banned in the North Campus and those shops selling the readings are doing it illegally. Their claim that they have got the licence from the publishers is absolutely false.
Aishwarya Chaurasia
[email protected]
Read the initial report here, https://dubeat.com/2012/08/readings-banned-in-north-campus/
“All I want to do ever, is to play chess.” Bobby Fischer said it, and these kids seem to happily reiterate it. (For the uninitiated, Bobby Fischer was a former World Chess Champion).
These wunderkinds started playing the game at the incredulous age of seven and eight, an age when all that we could strain our brain cells for would have probably been the discovery of a new hideout for hide-and-seek or an attempt to tie the shoe-laces!
Shreyansh Daklia, a student of SRCC, in his third year of B.Com (Hons), can easily pass by as the most unassuming lad on campus, but just get that checkerboard out and he’ll amaze you with some of those lethal moves he keeps, neatly tucked under his belt. Shreyansh holds an international rating of 2216 (in chess, the higher it gets, the better it is ), and has 3 International Master norms to his credit, a title given to chess players. Also, he has received prestigious awards and scholarships like the Shaheed Koushal Award from Chhattisgarh Govt. in 2010, and scholarships from the Airport Authority of India.
Here I am in a conversation with him:
Q. When and how did you start?
A. I started when I was 7. My dad happened to visit a stadium the other day, and he saw small kids getting prizes, came home and told us, “Tum logon ko bhi aise hi prize jeetna hai.” We went on to attend a summer coaching, then participated in the district tournament (under 7). Once I became a State Under-7 Champion, there was no looking back.
Q. Has chess helped you evolve your mental faculties in any way?
A. It surely has, to a great extent. Chess has helped in improving my concentration, patience and logical reasoning.
Q. Who do you think are better at chess, boys or girls?
A. Statistically, boys are better, personally also, I think they are better. After all, fighting is in their genes. (laughs)
Q. What are your future plans for chess?
A. I’m confused between preparing for MBA, looking for placements. I’ll think I’ll complete my MBA, and then continue with Chess.
He’s not making these moves alone. We also have Kanika Saxena, another student of SRCC, in her second year of Economic (Hons). You’ll find her wheeling around the campus with the most endearing smile etched on her face but engage her in a game, and she’ll bare the most devilish grin as she knocks down your pawns and rooks. Kanika has an international rating of 1600, has participated in the Asian and Commowealth Games for chess and is the founder of the girls’ chess team in college.
This is what she had to say:
Q. How did you start with chess?
A. When I was in class 2, I used to watch my grandfather play. That s how I got intrigued by the game, pursued it at school level and started training under one of Delhi’s best chess coaches, V.S Negi.
Q. What role has chess played in your life?
A. It has certainly made me more cautious about things, makes you a bit calculative. I had to discontinue playing after class 10, due to studies and personal reasons, but Chess still holds a dear place in my life, and I hope I’m able to come back to it once I’m settled.
Vatsala Gaur
[email protected]
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It’s that time of the year again when freshers’ parties are the topic of discussion amongst every group of students across Delhi University. Many colleges have had their unofficial freshers’, but their official party is still on the waiting list. SRCC, Hansraj, Khalsa, Miranda House, St Stephens, Lady Shri Ram, Laxmi Bai etc are done with their departmental and unofficial freshers’ while Daulat Ram and Kirori Mal are going to have the same in the coming week.
Shri Ram College had its unofficial freshers’ party on 29th of this month at Urban Pind, GK-2. The freshers had to pay Rs 300 each and the party continued from 3 to 7pm. Although very few students turned up, the party was quite a fun. “We sang and danced with our friends, and the food was good too!” says Mansi, a fresher.
[caption id="attachment_7548" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Unofficial freshers' at SRCC"]
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Miranda house had its departmental fresher with the theme of “ticket to Bollywood” last week in the college campus itself. Girls dressed up as actresses, danced to the tune of Bollywood music. “Food was good, they had it ordered from McDonald’s but the faulty music system spoiled the fun”, says Vanshika, a fresher from Miranda house. Lady Shri Ram and Laxmi Bai College too had its freshers’ last week with the theme of Angels and Demons at LSR. The girls of Laxmi Bai thoroughly enjoyed the “Miss Laxmi Bai” and solo group dance contest. “We also had rain dance which was terrific, I enjoyed a lot!” says Ridhima, a fresher.
Hansraj had its unofficial departmental freshers’ in Saket last week with each fresher contributing Rs 650. “They were serving alcohol and such stuffs, we don’t drink so it was just so-so”, says Vidushi. Hansraj’s official freshers’ is meant to be held on 6th or 7th of next month with theme of Chronicles of Harry-oween and Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s unofficial freshers’ is at ice lounge next week.
On the other hand, some colleges are yet to have their freshers’ parties and students are looking forward to it with huge expectations. “I have already decided what to wear on the day, and I am very excited about it. I hope it stands up to my expectations, fingers crossed!” says Shiksha, SRCC. Aishwarya Chaurasia [email protected] ]]>
SIFE, which stands for Students in Free Enterprise, is an international non-profit organisation and was incepted in 1975. It began its organisation in the United States. Today, in India SIFE operates as a subsidiary of SIFE worldwide and is one of the 39 countries around the world that comprises SIFE’s premier business and higher education network.
SIFE came to SRCC in the year 2007 and since then it is one of the most active and well known society of the college. Its basic work is to bring together a diverse network of university students and create a better and more sustainable world through the positive power of business. Well-known companies like Boston Consulting Group, The Times of India, FDCI, Punjab National Bank, Max India foundation are its partners. This society finds underprivileged communities and develops a business model for them. It has a team consisting of students from all the three years – the third year students act as advisory members and students from first and second year are allocated duties and responsibilities for completion of their undertaken projects. Till date SIFE SRCC has undertaken 10 projects out of which 4 are still continuing.
The 4 on-going projects namely, Life on Wheels, Kayakalp, Azmat and Aahar have proved to be quite a success. Under project Life on Wheels, SIFE empowers the rickshaw puller community by facilitating ownership of rickshaws. This is done by getting loans sanctioned for the rickshaw pullers from Punjab National Bank and then ensuring successful repayment of the loan amount. At present SIFE has 100 rickshaw pullers and 61 percent loan repayment. Project Kayakalp (meaning rejuvenation) attempts to preserve India’s ancient culture of puppetry while providing the poor artists an opportunity to earn livelihood by showcasing their art to the community. Under project Azmat (meaning dignity), SIFE SRCC identified the existence of manual scavengers in Nekpur near Ghaziabad. The caste system, there, dictates that those belonging to Dalit sub-caste should engage in cleaning dry latrines (non-flush toilets) and carrying human excreta on their heads to disposal grounds. Azmat seeks to rehabilitate these underprivileged people and provide them an alternative source of income. Project Aahar is engaged in providing sustainable source of income to girls rescued from trafficking and helping them to develop culinary skills by providing proper training thus making them independent.
With these projects SIFE SRCC is easily one of the best in DU. It was awarded the second place in the SIFE National Competition in 2011 and third place in 2012. This year (2011-2012) it is working with 57 members and impacting 750 people both directly and indirectly. These figures indicate that SIFE SRCC has huge potential and it will, in near future, bring a significant change in our community.
Aishwarya Chaurasia
[email protected]