– Koh Choon Hwee
It was Wednesday and it was very befuddling why Madam still had not shown up in class. My attendance was in jeopardy, thanks to a clumsily conceived MOU – Memorandum of (supposed) Understanding – signed by my home university and the lovely LSR; clumsiness on the part of my university of course, which went with a very Confucian pedantry on hours and attendance and algorithms of credit conversion, as well as a supreme ignorance of Indian ‘culture’, whatever that word means.
Thank Bhagwan for something to read away the time, for the copy of DU beat was foisted on me by Pragya Mukherjee and the very strange insight that her article has proffered – on the Indian conception of Japanese culture. So apparently old Indians think that Japanese culture is all about “pornography or gory violence”, while young Indians think that Japanese equals “anime and video games”. Pragya thinks Japan is more than that, and is a bit upset at the village-mindset-type-reactions that greeted her decision to learn the language. How all very fascinating, which made me want to tell you about what I think Singaporeans think about Indians; or rather, what happened when I revealed that I was going to spend a year in your lovely country, to my lovely family and friends.
There were your usual what the flucks and dire (racist) warnings about how Indians talk very well, very eloquently, but don’t believe them, they will cheat you, they love your money more than they love you – until I pointed out that that’s what they say about the Chinese too, the money bit at least. (Yeah I’m a Chinky!) “Why India?” was a common question accompanying a scowl or a look of utter incomprehension. “The future is in China, not India!” – which is, by the way, the reigning consensus in tiny Singapore, but that’s not the point since I’m certainly not in India to fleece people and institutions of their money, which is what they inevitably mean when they say the future is somewhere. Better yet, I was at a Bollywood dance class at the Singapore Khalsa, alongside Punjabi Sikh Aunties and one Punjabi Sikh Uncle when all of them surrounded me and one Auntie Gurmeet said, “Careful, don’t let those Indians bully you, okay girl?!” Yeah, Singaporean Indians are not Indians, so obviously true but I hadn’t realized it till then. (But I guess I would not consider myself China Chinese, so there.)
At the other end of the spectrum there was Weify, the ONLY South Asian Studies Final Year Honours student this year from my home university (and my best friend from college) who plays Jana Gana Mana on Youtube at home and weeps prolifically and then emails me about it. Bhagwan. The South Asian Studies Department is one of the smallest departments, filled with Indophiles who are just the sort to go screaming inside Weify’s car one night, when it went past a Minister’s house, hands plastered on car windows, just because there were Gurkhas on duty guarding the place. GURKHAS!!!! One of them (Haza, who may be gracing LSR corridors next year) wanted me to bring back some mud from India. I deleted her text message.
So I finally came, landed, moved in, and it’s been a good six months or so into the “Indian experience”. Recently, the Incredible India commercial has been showing on TV quite a lot and I’ve never seen that Incredible India. Though, I have been rendered incredulous countless times. Teacher strikes, student strikes, autowallas also want to strike. I have crashed the AISA hunger strike against the school fee hike. I say ‘crashed’ because my presence was thoroughly fraudulent as I snuck away to eat dinner at McDonalds. Except I was kindly informed that some of the leaders had went off to eat supper at night anyway, since it was a “relay hunger strike”. This is to me what chopsticks are to you, fascinating!
Unlike Pragya, in response to her editorial titled “Wrong About Japan”, I don’t think I could make a better country out of India, just by learning more of it. It hasn’t made a better me, I’ve just been fleeced and freeze-d, and now I’m thinking what the point is to this article, and my exchange program. I don’t think there is a point actually, except that the journey has been flucking funny.
Wolfmother’s eponymous first album, released in 2005, featured powerful tracks like Dimension, the Grammy-winning Woman and the head-banging favourite Joker and the Thief. After the original bassist and drummer of the three-member band left, though, that pretty much sounded like the end of the adventure. But Andrew Stockdale, the big haired lead singer, along with new members, Ian Peres, Aidan Nemeth and Dave Atkins gave the world Cosmic Egg in late 2009. Curiosity regarding their second album was more than what most second albums get, because for all intents and purposes, this was a new band. The Wolfmother tag, of course meant that they had to live up to the sound of the original. In the event, Cosmic Egg goes along the same path that Wolfmother set in 2005. Powerful chords, howling solos and far-out lyrics, all of which sound like they’ve been transported from any number of Classic Rock albums, tell the listener exactly where Stockdale gets his musical inspiration from. The first track, California Queen, is a powerful song with a huge power riff, with Stockdale reaching out to God-alone-knows-where with his voice. The hard bassline completes the experience and makes the song almost like an adjunct to the first album. New Moon Rising is more way-out lyrics and hard guitar riffs, with Stockdale again testing the limits of his voice. White Feather is not so much heavy metal as blatantly Led Zeppelin-inspired, and is all the better for it. Sundial, on the other hand, is reminiscent of much of Black Sabbath. In The Morning attempts a mix of ballads and psychedelic lyrics with lines like Never have I felt like this before though sometimes well I’ve seen an opening door/Just like a stone, until its thrown, listen to the tone where the truth can make itself known. Somehow, the band never does get this particular combination and song right. Maybe sticking to what they do best means not attempting ballads. Redemption comes with the very next track, 10,000 Feet, with a stand-alone bassline that plays like it’s marching along in your head. Far Away is one of the slower tracks on the album, and takes some getting used to. Phoenix features a fast, slightly more modern riff and a guitar solo that keeps promising to break out of its cover. The lyrics are almost not there, both in terms of content and presence. If you’re looking for a growing up or a growing-out of their old skin, Wolfmother’s second album will not provide succour. If you’re looking for a modern album, Cosmic Egg isn’t for you. However, if you’ve listened to and liked Led Zeppelin, Beatles, The Rolling Stones or Black Sabbath, this album is definitely worth a listen, and more. My Rating: 3.5/5 ]]>
So this week’s article is combletely dedicated to my girls. You know I actually know that feeling when a girl turns to another and cribs about having the relatively disastrous life. Ouch-ing to incessant hair removal sessions, worrying about the opposite sex way too much, obsessing about them after a while, pms-ing and then menopausing later in life. All this and more is characteristic to our lives. I’m leetle beatle different though. I bet all of you don’t drink coconut milk and go to the gym in bright red saris. But we more or less share the same miseries. So a few days I decided that I’ll dedicate every day to us. Everyday can be a “chic day”. We don’t need an excuse to get away with decadent, self-indulgent, pampering little moves. Just wink at each other and go for it. This week I’m going to give you the five favourite ways through which women, attached or single, can do a jig on the ramp, a wild one, and get away without a wardrobe malfunction. Boys, oh boys, don’t even bother reading ahead.
1. Browse stores and bargain.
We’ve all had a day when we’ve haggled our guts out and saved on crisp notes and admired our bargaining skills. That satisfaction when you travel around, walk constantly and at the end have saved money to be able to have a gol-gappa competition (and gulp some coconut milk). Bargaining is by far the most satiating experience women undergo. You’d rather be out asserting yourself (or the right price) and feeling Barney-awesome about all the money you’ve not spent, not blown, not wasted but saved. If savings was a person, it would be our favourite. After you’re done reading this, please hit the market and but yourself some junk and make the cupboards vomit. Please?
2. Have a Sunday Funday.
Step one. Use your genius schemes and call a few friends. Step two. Text the rest. Step three. Tell everyone that the plan is to grab lunch. Step four. Be there on time. Step three point five. Give yourself a red-hot mani/pedi. Step five. Chat like you got your voice only yesterday. Step six. Enjoy the starters and the main course. Step seven. Make dinner plans. Step eight. Bar hop the rest of the evening. Step nine. Feel great and bless the world. Step ten. Go to bed and make sure you called it a perfect Sunday. Good night!
3. Read in the bath.
You get up in the mornings and you’re panting already. I know you’re late but this one day you need to just calm down and learn to not make bathing an awkward experience. Call it a tub solo that you’re going to undertake and veg out for an hour or two. You might sleep and you can comfortably owe this to the yummy-smelling candles and the elevated bubbles. Please carry a guilty-pleasure book to help the senses ascend. You know how to do this. Get to it. Now!
4. Go to a swanky restaurant for dessert.
You need to go to a super fancy restaurant and order the ice cream injected cupcakes or some chocolate lava. Soak up the luxe atmosphere, enjoy awesome service and eat top of the line deserts. Wait, wait till %.
5. Sleep sans pajamas.
Don’t be shy. You know that the blanket is soft. You know you can perfectly utilise the opportunity since you can’t exactly go for brunch or visit the mall in your birthday suit. What you wouldn’t know is that experts say that you can become desensitized to your own skin if you’re clothed all the time. Not so good. Enjoy the feeling. It doesn’t take more than a strip down.
All this is great. The sky is floating. The clothes smell good. I smell brilliant. Life is good…….*thoughts fade away, amma dozes off*
The National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements (NAPM) organized a dharna on the 16th and 17th of February at Jantar Mantar for the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Hundreds of oustees of Maheshwar dam came to Delhi for the two day programme to demand that the construction of the Maheshwar dam should be stopped immediately. The construction of the Maheshwar dam, touted to be one of the largest on Narmada, is going to affect around 50,000 to 70,000 peasants, fisher people, boatpeople and landless workers who are supposed to be provided with agricultural land but so far, though the construction work is nearing completion, the rehabilitation process has only progressed to some 5%. Even after repeated pleas to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, there has been no move to stop construction and through this dharna, they hoped to attraction to the oustees’ plight and strengthen their struggle for their rights.
When: 1st to 28th February
Where: Sugar ‘N’ Spice, he Village Restaurant Complex, Siri Fort Auditorium
What: The Indian restaurant goes spicy this February with the Kashmiri Cuisine on their HOT CHART. Aroma richness in taste of the Kashmiri dishes is enough to blow your gustatory senses. Delicious dishes like Goshtaba, Aromatic curry dish-Rogan josh, Kashmiri Mutton curry -Mutton Yakhni, Macch, Tamatar Chamaan, Rajmaha, Creamy Rice Flour Pudding -Phirini and Kawha are all present on the menu.The vegetarian dished will cost around Rs. 300 and the non-veg ones around Rs. 400. Both lunch & dinner will be available within the restaurant timings from 12 to 11 pm
As part of their much awaited annual debating festival Gift of the Gab, Kirorimal College held the Frank Thakur Das (FTD) parliamentary debate from the 10th to the 13th of February 2010. Siddharth Thyagarajan and Aachal Kappoor from Ramjas College bagged the award for the best team. The award for the best adjudicator went to Mahima from Hansraj College while Neelakshi Tiwari from Hindu was judged the second best adjudicator.
The Debating Society of Shri Ram College of Commerce hosted the 5th Ernst and Young SRCC Debating Festival 2010 in association with Titan and styled by Uni Style Image from 6th to 9th February at the college premises amid increased fanfare and excitement. The festival is the biggest of its kind in India and is the only festival dedicated to debating, having more than 4 different types of debates namely the conventional debate, parliamentary debate, turncoat and the group discussion. Over the years it has become one of the most prestigious debates with more than 40 colleges from all over India participating.
Crossfire, the parliamentary styled debate saw more than 45 teams battling it out for the top slot. There were 5 qualifying rounds after which 8 teams made it to the knock out phase. The motions were based on various themes like a time set on international relations, lifestyle, gender and privacy, law and economics. The finals saw a duel between Hindu College and Ramjas debating on the motion “This house believes that evidence obtained illegally should be admissible in court” with Hindu College emerging victorious. The Hindu team consisted of Kabir Nanda, Rhea Chatterjee and Mehak while the Ramjas team was made up of Siddharth Thyagarajan, Aanchal Kapoor and Karandeep.
The finals of the 33th Shri Ram Memorial Conventional Debate was judged by Kapil Arora, Partner with the Advisory Services of Ernst & Young, and Shishir Sinha, Senior journalist CNBC Awaaz. Only 5 teams made it to the final round, the motion debated being ‘this house believes capitalism will kill itself”. Urvashi Gupta of SRCC won the best speaker while Danvir Suri and Ananya Kotia of Hansraj won the best team.
Renegade was the turncoat debate. A turncoat debate is one in which the speaker first speaks in favour of the motion assigned to him and then against it. Every speaker got a different motion. Pranay Bhatia of IIT Bombay won the best speaker award and the second best speaker was awarded to Danvir Suri of Hansraj College.
The event knowledge partner Alchemist conducted Synergy-the group discussion. Kunal of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Sciences (NMIMS), Mumbai won the GD while Urvashi Gupta from SRCC was adjudged the second best speaker.
The winners of the various events were given cash prices along with Titan watches.
The anti tobacco campaign was inaugurated with much enthusiasm on the 3rd of February at the Hansraj College where the World Lung Foundation joined forces with the Delhi University to restrain the pernicious practice of smoking and tobacco consumption.
The Global Health Professional Students Survey, carried out among 15 medical colleges in the country, has revealed a high prevalence of tobacco use among students and poor enforcement of tobacco ban on medical campuses. A testament to this is the growing number of pan shops near college campuses, although the law prohibits sale and smoking of cigarettes in public places . Another worrying aspect is the growth of female smokers. The world lung foundation estimates that one third of Indian women consume at least one form of tobacco.
Restraining these trends requires local participation and active campaigning. The world lung foundation has played a leading role in this regard. It has contributed immensely in making north campus a smoke free zone; such programs have also been spread to Uttarakhand and other regions. Affiliating with colleges, a team of nodal officers from the member staff as well as student volunteers have been established with the objective to deter tobacco consumption by spreading awareness. Nodal officers and tobacco brigades have volunteered to act as guides to users and custodians of tobacco free campus.
To spread this message, a two day event consisting of competitions ranging from painting, declamation and street play were held. The key note address was presented by the principal of Hansraj college who explained in detail the correlation between Darwin’s theory and use of relaxants. The chief guest on this occasion was Mr. G.S. Khatri, the president of World Lung Foundation and a pioneer of the north campus ‘Smoke Free Zone’ initiative. The painting and the declamation contests were based on the theme of discouragement of tobacco usage and saw a large turnout. The second day witnessed a street play competition which was won by Hansraj college through an emotive performance of the hazards of tobacco consumption.
It was acknowledged by all present during the course of the campaign that such initiatives need all the possible support that can be provided, for this addiction is dangerous and its consequences dire though eventually this critical decision lies in an individual’s very own hands.