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August 2014

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Pssst. What exactly is the New Development Bank?

The bank that is being formed by the BRICS nations with its headquarters in Shanghai. It would fund long-term investment in infrastructure, projects for sustainable development and balance of payments funding.

Wait. Don’t IMF and World Bank perform the same function?

Yes they do. But the increasing demands for infrastructure and more environmentally sustainable forms of development in the emerging and developing economies are not being met by these institutions. There is an estimated deficit of investment of US$1 trillion annually. Also the BRICS nations have grown in economic importance over the years which has not been followed by a similar increase in the receptivity of their voice.

I don’t get it!

See, there has been increased South-South trade, economic cooperation and foreign aid. These countries seem to have enough pooled funds to meet there own needs and no longer need to depend, only on the IMF and World Bank and nor do they need to accept their inappropriate conditions. These institutions have refused to increase the voting share of the developing countries despite the fact that they account for half the world’s population and China alone accounts for 40% of the global growth after the collapse of the Lehman Brothers.

Like the Chang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM).

The NDB is slightly different because unlike the CMIM it has a Contingency Reserve Arrangement (CRA), that provides official liquidity in times of need, of US$100 billion which will make it independent of IMF approval and surveillance.

Oh, so that means no more American influence through these institutes.

You may be wrong about that. Although the initial capital is being contributed equally by the member states, the CRA of US$100 Billion is being financed majorly (41%) by China which is more than twice of that paid by any other country. China may choose to exercise its power due to the sheer size of its economy and use this as a platform to optimize cross-border use of the Chinese currency, especially for trade-linked transactions.

Will they be as influential and powerful as the IMF and World Bank?

The failure of these institutes in spotting and stopping the 2007-08 crisis has weakened their authority and legitimacy. No doubt the NDB will be powerful, but will it be an alternative for global development finance? It can if it makes quality loans and uses a right balance of the degree of sophistication in its financial instruments.

It sounds like everything will work out fine if they manage the risk well and coordinate their activities.

Here is the catch. The ASEAN group of Southeast Asian countries has programs, that activate currency swaps and multilateral assistance, to avert short-term monetary shortfalls of its member nations. The objectives of the NDB and institutes like ASEAN, Chinese Development bank and a similar one in Brazil. As for the ASEAN, China will gain from sidelining with Tokyo to gain influence in the region given the political tensions between them, but this will shake the existing initiatives. These facts render the functions and impact of the NDB vague.

So, If China has good intentions, so will the bank.

Devangi Agarwal

Lecture by Professor Carl W. Ernst: Sufism and its Contemporary Relevance

“A Sufi never claims himself to be a Sufi.”

Professor Carl W. Ernst, the professor of religious studies and director of the California center for the study of the Middle east and Muslim civilizations, USA, started out his lecture by defining the very term ‘Sufism’ and its Indian relevance.

Hosted in the main north campus’s conference center hall, the chief guest of the event was the very much debated vice chancellor of Delhi University, Dr Dinesh Singh who was curiously absent in the notices that were put up all over the campus, which announced the date as well as the venue of the lecture. In the neatly packed hall of the conference center then, the seminar saw attendance from the students of several departments of the university including Political Science, Philosophy, English Literature and of course the Persian department whose head, Professor Chander Singh was one of the members, chairing this seminar.

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One of such members, Professor Minni Sawhey, Dean of Faculty of Arts initiated the seminar by addressing Professor Carl W. Ernst and honoring him by a bouquet of roses. Professor Ernst, on the other hand thanked the Delhi university for inviting him simultaneously for the second time in the gap of an academic year.

He appeared very comfortable as he sailed across the distant origins of Sufism, standing tall at the podium, smiling and cross questioning the audience. His discussion ranged under subtopics like national attitude towards Sufism, Earlier European hostility towards its origins as well as the sacred relevance of Sufi shrines that derive their importance from rituality and the power of narratives.

“Involving. To the point. And extremely refreshing as compared to our routine lectures. I think such seminars should be held more often.” remarked Mohammad Abbas, a fresher from the Department of Persian. Refreshing indeed. The lecture delivered what was promised, leaving us all open minded and more receptive in the terms of understanding rather more deeper aspects of Islamic studies.

Priyanka Kapoor
[email protected]

Photo credits :Mohammad Shuaib and Ashita Chaturvedi

Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) on Tuesday, August 5th, 2014  released its ‘White Paper’ against the Vice Chancellor, Dinesh Singh at a press conference. Singh, who has been  in news in the recent past for the FYUP debacle, gets no respite even after the rollback of the controversial regime.

 With this paper that focuses on the financial, administrative and academic irregularities by the VC, DUTA calls out to the President of India, Shri. Pranab Mukherjee to launch a comprehensive  Inquiry against the Vice Chancellor, pending which, he should be made to go on leave.

In the past one year, DUTA has come up with many such allegations against Singh, but this is the first time that the organization has drafted a 41-page release supported by documents and evidences (acquired by RTI). Additionally, this White Paper has also noted the lack of personal probity and academic integrity on his part as well as violations of the Delhi University Act, statutes, rules and regulations made.

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DUTA’s press statement states that, “Normalcy and a sense of justice will not be restored unless the Vice Chancellor and his core team of senior officials are brought to book and the University is given the opportunity to put these shameful years behind and move ahead.”

DUTA’s paper in its various sub-pointers alleged the VC of mis-governance, victimization and harassment of teachers as well as violations in promotions and implementation of  the reservation policy. On the financial front, DUTA accused the VC of (mis)using approximately 172 crores of the OBC grants for buying 62,600 laptops for the first year students of the much discussed and no longer existing four year undergraduate programme.

“The provision of laptops to the students was just bribe by the VC to students to keep their mouth shut when they were not happy with the course. This money was actually meant for up-gradation of infrastructure in the University and for the betterment of the teaching faculty”, Nandita Naraian, DUTA president said.

Vice Chancellor was also held accountable for charges of appointing faculty that favored FYUP and violating UGC  norms and the national policy of 10+2+3 system.

Funds worth crores were also diverted to run Gyanodaya Express and organize foreign tours for the VC and other officers of the University. For the very same reason, there were regular complaints throughout the year pertaining to the absence of VC in the University to address the grievances of students and teachers. University cultural festival– Antardhwani which was a mere way of showcasing VC’s pet programmes (like FYUP) used a lot of finances. Rs. 125 crores were also shifted from the development fund of  School of Open Learning to VC and the university authorities for framing of courses and setting up SOL study centre in Ramanujan College.

[caption id="attachment_24816" align="aligncenter" width="580"]duta RTI filed regarding the purchase and distribution of Laptops by the University[/caption]

Anita Gosh, Joint Secretary of DUTA highlighted the condition of sports and the university stadiums in the tenure of Dinesh Singh. “The stadium prohibits anybody to enter and play. 2005 was the last time when we got the prestigious Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad trophy as a university for sports which is a matter of shame for such a prestigious university,” she says.

Apart from this, VC Dinesh Singh has been alleged to have granted  favors to people he is close to in the University of Delhi. DUTA has claimed that VC appointed his own acquaintances as election officers for University elections and also as the Officers on Special Duty as the Principal of the college which is against the laws.

Other allegations included reappointment of the principal of Ambedkar College, Dr. G.K Arora despite of the fact that he was held responsible for sexual harassment and mental/physical trauma of Smt. Pavitra, the lab assistant who committed suicide in front of the Delhi Secretariat.

DUTA also held VC responsible for permitting mining of Aravali Rock in the ARSD College, which is a government natural resource and the activity, is  considered illegal.

There has been a history of teachers, mainly adhoc and other employees in the university who were dismissed. “All the people who tried to speak against him were removed.” Nandita Narain commented. Dinesh was held responsible for also denying the CBI its request to probe the University Officer who has been incriminated in the Shunglu Committee Report on the CWG scam.

“The University has a bleak future if the present VC continues. The University has become anti-students and anti-teachers. It is just pro the university authorities. This is sheer academic erosion. We appeal students and teachers to help us in our movement. We expect a visitorial inquiry soon”, said the DUTA president ending the conference.

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After the long discussed FYUP chapter, the University of Delhi now is gearing up for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections of 2014-15. With tentatively a month to go for the election period, the Vice Chancellor, Dinesh Singh appointed officials for monitoring and facilitating the conduct of these elections of office bearers and members for the Central Council of DUSU. DUSU is the representative body of the students from most colleges and faculties.

DS Rawat of Department of Chemistry has taken over as the Chief Election Officer. Rawat was also responsible for the duties of Chief Returning Officer for the elections of 2013-14. “Now that the notification has come we will sit for a meeting and develop a plan of action on how to maintain discipline and order during the election period”, he told DU Beat.

Chandar Shekhar of Department of Persian has now been appointed as the Chief Returning Officer for this year and Satish Kumar, OSD Examinations will serve as the Returning Officer.

Apart from DUSU each college has its independent council and elections are held for the same each year. For that purpose, VC has also appointed principals of colleges and head of institutions to regulate elections in their respective institutions.

The elections which are expected to be conducted in mid-September will witness each student casting his or her vote independently for their choice of candidate. DUSU elections have candidates contesting from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and a few candidates from the independent parties.

Gone are the days when owning a personal page on the worldwide web used to be a privilege. It’s now easier than you may think to share your voice with the world.  Have something to share? Start a blog!

You can practically write about anything – stuff that excites you, things you know about or even your life’s journal. People all over the world read, share and comment about your work. Not only will you learn, you can even earn from you blogs!

Once you decide a subject for your blog (trust me, it can be anything!), the next steps are easy.So let’s dive in and help you start your Blog!

 

Getting the Blog up!

To begin with, you need website that provides you a blogging platform. The service can be paid or free, depending on your needs and objectives.  Among the free options, Google’s Blogger is quite popular.

Head towww.blogger.com and sign in with (or signup for) your Google account. Choose a ‘Display Name’ which would appear as a sign under your posts.

Next, click on “Create Your Blog Now” and choose a heading for your blog along with a prefix for the “.blogspot.com” url. This will be your blog’s web address.

Now, choose a “Template” which would be your blog’s layout and the basic design. You’re ready to roll out your first post!

Monetization

If your content is good and you start attracting some traffic, blogging can fetch you some great bucks! Google AdSense, the most popular monetization vehicle, integrates very easily into Blogger.

Select “Earnings” from the left sidebar, tap on AdSense, and make an account by providing necessary details.  Once the process is complete, you may add upto 3 AdSense widgets on Blog from “Add Gadgets” option under the “Layout” tab. Select your preferred positions for these banner ads and your blog is ready to mint you money! Though this requires a flow of traffic to your site, hey, you have to start from somewhere right?

So hit the keyboard and type your brains out, your personal blog awaits you.

Happy Blogging folks!

 

If Delhi University had a tumultuous admission session, in the course of which its popularity amongst students and aspirants may have waned, it is now trying hard to salvage that image.

According to fresh guidelines, those FYUP students who failed to clear their papers in the first year are to be inducted into the new three-year programme batch. Those three-year programme students who did not clear their second year papers are to be promoted to the final year. Under these directives, no college can fail a student enrolled in the old three-year programme while at the same time being bound to granting admission to the FYUP students who failed.

The university has also relaxed its attendance rules. Under the earlier requirements, students in professional courses required a minimum attendance of 75% while those in the regular courses required a minimum attendance of 66.6%. On failure to meet these requirements, the student would be barred from sitting for the examinations and their promotion withheld. However, under the new rules, no student can be detained on the basis of attendance. While a strong case can be made to support these new rules on the basis of the larger debate on education for learning, such an argument would lose credibility since no simultaneous measure has been taken to ensure that a comprehensive and continuous evaluation will be brought in place. To the contrary, the lax rules are likely to weaken the academic ethos of the university which has, so far, been strict with its rules pertaining to examinations and promotions.

While many students might be welcoming the rules on attendance, it remains to be seen whether this will have an adverse effect on academics. These developments are fairly recent, and in all probability, an outcome of the chaos that the university has witnessed with the change to the FYUP format and then the reversion to the old system.  It would help if the university specified its vision behind relaxing crucial rules, and reiterated its commitment to quality education.

It was a dark time for all of us to give our 12th board exams. The long looming nights filled with dread about the future. Many students passed with flying colors, but few of us were aiming for the entire rainbow.
We caught up with the man of the hour Sarthak Agrawal one week through his new student life in Delhi University.
For those who don’t know who we are talking about, Sarthak was a student of DPS, Vasant Kunj who became an All India CBSE topper for 2014 with a whooping score of 99.6%.
Here is how our conversation with him went.

Isheeta: How has your first couple of days in DU been so far?
Sarthak:
Well, it’s been a week and so far it has been good. Everything looks very interesting and SRCC, of course, is one of the best and also my dream college so it is good fun.

Isheeta: Your scores in the Board exams got a lot of media attention and also sparked a few trolls on Facebook! What was your take on it?
Sarthak:
Well, I really found the trolls interesting and funny. I am always up for a good laugh so it didn’t really bother me. Also, I don’t see the harm in other people laughing at my expense.

Isheeta: What are your major expectations and dreams related to college life?
Sarthak:
Other than scoring well there are quite a few areas in life that I haven’t ventured into for which college provides me opportunities. I am researching about college societies to see where I would fit best, though I am really hoping I can be a part of the debating society or Enactus.

Isheeta: You’re a pretty well known person in your batch, thanks to the media! What are some of the general reactions you got while introducing yourself to your peers?
Sarthak:
(laughs) Well, I didn’t actually have to be introduced because everybody sort of knew me and while I did enjoy that I also found it a little weird that I have so much attention since almost everyone in SRCC is here because of their sky high marks so it is not just me.

Isheeta: Most of us know that you are, of course, very focused when it comes to academics. What activities do you take up to unwind in your free time?
Sarthak:
I like to sketch, I did a short term course on it and since then I have loved it. I also like my music and sing whenever I feel good, though I am not very good at it. Sports is another thing, of course, I really like cricket and table tennis.

Isheeta: Any advice for SRCC aspirants studying in class 12th right now?
Sarthak:
Well, I am not very sure what to say but students should just remain focused and keep working hard, it will be difficult in the beginning but as you go along you will find it gets easy so just don’t give up.

Currently run by the Amaury Sport Organisation, Le Tour de France is amongst the three Grand Tours along with the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana; though it’s the oldest and the most prestigious of all. The first edition of this event was staged in 1903 and won by Maurice Garin of France. This year Vincenzo Nibali from Italy was the winner.

A cancer survivor, Lance Edward Armstrong is one of the persons who are associated with this race. He was classified as having won the Tour for a record seven consecutive times, until he was stripped of all these titles and banned from competitive cycling for life, for doping offences. These sanctions were imposed on him by the Union Cycliste International in 2012, based upon the reports of United States Anti-Doping Agency. There are many such Cyclists who have won this race and also faced such actions.

This event usually is organised in the month of July. It roughly spans over 23 days and has around 21 stages, a distance of around 3,500 kilometres is covered during the race. The race is mostly based in mainland France but may enter other countries as well during its course; the race though always ends on the Champs Elysees in Paris (since 1975).  There are usually 20 to 23 teams every year, with nine members each. The winner is decided by compounding the timings of all the rounds. The one with the lowest aggregate wins the coveted Yellow Jersey (“Maillot Jaune”).

This year’s race started form Leeds, United Kingdom; had nine flat, five hilly, 6 mountain and one individual time-trial stage.  Vincenzo Nibali of Astana Pro team claimed the Yellow Jersey after clocking 89h 59’ 06” at the end of the race. The twenty-one day event was led by him for eighteen days.

The Green Jersey was won by Peter Sagan, for leading in the point’s competition. Whereas the Polka – Dot  Jersey went to Rafal Majka for leading in the mountain events of the tour, the jersey signifies the King of the Mountains title.

 

Rishabh Sharma

[email protected]

 

Image source:  http://www.southperthrouleurs.com.au

Faridkot, one of India’s most versatile rock bands, have been in the music scene since 2009. Inspite of being affected by frequent line – up changes, the ‘hindi rock’ giants have managed to release their second album ‘Phir Se’ in June this year. We had the opportunity of speaking to Rajarshi Sanyal, the guitarist of Faridkot. This is what he had to say:

Your first appearance as we know it , was on V Launchpad in 2007(it was 2009). And now in 2014 you have managed to release your second Album. How do you think your music has evolved?

It’s really hard to judge your own music as a listener as you’ve been too closely involved with it. Maybe in 10 years we’ll be in a better place to be more articulate about its evolution. For now, we’d like to believe that it has evolved in the same way that we have evolved as human beings. All the changes and experiences we’ve gone through over the last 5 years inevitably ends up affecting and creeping into the music we make.

 

How is the first album different from the second album?

For starters, the first album was written in a different way. Some songs were written by IP and Anindo Bose (from Advaita) since they had been working on music before IP and I met. Since Anindo was busy with other projects, he couldn’t join the band and we ended up adding a ‘Faridkot’ flavour to the songs and spiced them up. The other songs were written by IP and I through guitar riffs and him singing along and both of us exploring various ideas to complete the song by introducing the other elements. To be honest, we barely had any idea about how to do it and were kind of just using hit and trial! Lyrically, IP was talking about the romantic idea of love mostly and a lot of the songs were about heart-break.
On the other hand, the second album was written by structuring the songs on the bass and drums by me and Sahil respectively. This was followed by me laying down the guitars and then finally the vocals/lyrics came in. So it was kind of a reverse approach to the earlier album’s songwriting method. Also, lyrically, IP talks more about cosmic love and other introspections and reflections involving the bigger picture.

 

Musicians in India, are known to play in different bands at the same time. Your bass guitarist, Nikhil Rufus Raj has been associated with many bands. Recently he left Skyharbor. Is it hard to dedicate oneself to one project and if not how do you manage to actively contribute to so many projects at the same time?

Quoting Nikhil on this, “Bands I play with are also my friends and since I’m playing with friends, there’s an understanding I share with them. After that, with careful planning and systematic scheduling I’m able to give my time to all projects without hindering any of them.”

 

How has Delhi University influenced your music?

We’ve played at a lot of colleges there and the University represents a big chunk of the younger generation. Playing there is a whole lot of fun since the audience is always so receptive and feeds us with so much energy that it’s a delight to be on stage.

 

Your latest single ‘Bijli’ consists of minute pieces of ‘Rap’. Is it something that was introduced to grab the attention of the crowd, given the latest fuss and demand of Punjabi Rap music?

Well, not really. Not that we have anything against the latest fuss and demand for Punjabi rap music.  We actually love Hip-hop music and there’s something really powerful about spoken word. It’s a different style of expressing and since we’re always looking for new ways to expand our musical horizons, it was inevitable that we explore this direction too. In fact, some of the new tracks we’re working on right now are highly inspired by hip-hop music.

 

What in your view is lacking in new bands? Is it important to make long term plans for a band that is just starting out?

I think when you start out, it’s important to just explore various kinds of music that you find interesting. When a group of musicians come together, they’re always bringing something unique to the table. The important thing is to find what is unique about their combined efforts and ideas. It might be something that none of them can predict so instead of assuming direction, it’s important to find it.

We’re all so busy thinking about the future all the time that few of us realize how beautiful the present is and how much you can enjoy it by just living in it 100%. If we try to envision a future while living in the present, then we’re just distracting ourselves. The same goes for bands making music. It’s important to work hard and put your all in the “now”. The future is always going to be unpredictable so why bother.

 

Your music tends to be groovy. What are your major influences as a band?

We love all good music. Especially rhythmic music. We feel its the foundation of life. Think about heart beats or the flapping of a bird’s wings.  Rhythms and beats. Melody comes right after that and we love that too. Our inspiration is the world around us. Just try to grasp the emotions you go through when you look into the depths of a mountain or feel the splash of waves on a beach. Existence can be just so fascinating, isn’t it so?

 

Any band in particular which you feel is doing pretty well in the latest music circuit and deserves a record deal?

There are a lot of artists working really hard here. The independent music scene is constantly growing at a really fast rate. Naming a few would mean that the others don’t deserve it, which is not true. So we’d rather not be specific.

 

Do you think social media has a huge role to play in the modern music scene and How?

Yes, it does. It’s the only platform where people across the world come together as a community. It’s the best way to reach out to audiences who would’ve otherwise never heard of you. As any musician, all you really need is someone to listen to you and maybe tell you how they feel when they do. Even if the latter doesn’t work out, the chances of the former happening has increased exponentially thanks to social media.

 

How did the deal with Universal Music Group come about?

We were looking for someone to help us distribute the album and they were looking for artistes. We got together and they wanted to take it further and do a 360 degree deal with us. Also, they were pretty open to ideas and thoughts that we had, which is a great thing. Not many mainstream labels are like that and we’re very happy to be working with them.

Debuting as a full time lead on a television series, the Scary Movie star Anna Faris, as the newly sober Christy Plunkett, is the ideal crazy-lady-charmer of this new sitcom. But Allison Janey as Bonnie Plunkett, Christy Plunkett’s mother, isn’t to be underestimated- she is the Charlie Sheen of MOM!

Mom, the CBS sitcom, follows a sixth month sober Christy Plunkett who ironically settles for a solemn beginning in Napa, a valley in California which is practically the biggest wine hub of the state.

Nonetheless, as soon as Christy ‘mothers-up’ to raise her teenage pregnant daughter and a nine year old son (given that her ex husband was a stoner and basically just another result of a hangover ), her own mother (Allison Janey), who herself is recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction, shows up.

In a time when Hollywood studios are recycling movie ideas to make mediocre TV shows, it merely took some adult puns, witty one-liners and somewhat dark hangover gags to create a refreshing comedy out of a dysfunctional broken family, not to mention how relatable it is for the addicts. The classic ‘wide-eyed/tensed’ Christy regularly rants about her wasted childhood and not only manages to laugh at herself but also manages to tickle some funny bones.

Last, while this show is doing immensely well on the ‘LOL’ charts, it hasn’t succeeded in steering clear of pitfalls. For instance, Christy is able to afford a 3 bedroom apartment though she is the only working member of her family. Perhaps, in her own words- ‘perks of sleeping with her own boss’.

Secondly, since it delves into some serious familial instabilities, there is always a chance the joke falls flat because the situation feels too serious to joke about, as it happens when Baxter, Christy’s ex husband jokes about some ‘fatherly-issues’ with dumb guy-stereotype, Luke, the teenage boyfriend and the father of his unborn grand kid.

From the creators of The Big Bang theory and Two and a half men (Chuck Lorre), Mom is definitely something to look out for. And hence, even if this show makes you cringe, it is sure to make you laugh your way out of it.

 The official trailer of ‘Mom’ created by Chuck Lorre and starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney.


 Priyanka Kapoor for DU Beat.

([email protected])