August 2014

Arthashastra , the Economics Society Miranda House organized a seminar on 28th of August with honourable guest speaker Rajeev Malhotra. The seminar was aimed at discussion and interaction on the Union Budget and its importance, Budget 2014, GST and the Planning Commission.

Mr Malhotra has served as the Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Finance and has formerly served as an Executive Officer at the Planning Commission. He is a professor, an Executive Director at Centre for Development and Finance. He is also a celebrated lead author of the book India Public Policy Report. The vision behind organizing this seminar was to invite engaging and eminent speakers to address a young audience on global economic conundrums.

“By inviting students from various colleges and specialties like Political Science, Commerce and Mathematics, we hope to encourage a multiplicity of perspectives on key issues.” said Raavi Agarwal, a third year student of Economics honors and the president of the Economics Society, “We felt a discussion on the Union Budget was imperative for an insight into the policy maker’s mindset which would help us understand the minutiae of the budget and public policy as a whole.”

The agenda of the seminar was an appraisal of the Union Budget and the role of Fiscal Policy and its entirety. The speaker, Rajeev Malhotra addressed questions regarding the effectiveness of public policy in India and bottlenecks to efficacy of policies. He also explained some key terms and concepts related to the FRBM act, Fiscal policy, Deficits and taxes while highlighting the key trends and figures of Fiscal deficits, GDP growth and other macroeconomic parameters through a PowerPoint presentation.

“We were thrilled with the overwhelming response from the students across the university. I found it an informative and enriching session and the students were also pleased with the actual content of the session. We hope to organize such numerous fruitful colloquia in the future.” said Raavi. “Mr. Malhotra gave us some key points on the discussed topics which are lucrative in the sense of application,” said Ayushi, a second year Economics Honors student of Miranda House who attended the seminar, “I enjoyed being part of the session as it was very interactive and alive.”

Image source: Vishleshan team

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Small Screen

TV Show Review: Penny Dreadful

By DU Beat August 28, 2014

When I say Penny Dreadful, I expect half of the people to assume the gothic leading lady from the poster to be the ‘Penny’- supposedly, the villainous and thereby the dreadful. Somehow reminding us of shows like The Vampire Diaries and True Blood.

But we can’t help it, can we? Well, she is wearing a necklace made of scorpions and no matter how badass it appears in the posters, it does warrant an assumption of her being a good old vampire goddess. Though I assure you, this is definitely not the case.

The show derives its name from a 19th century British publication type under which ‘Penny’ stood for the fact that these books were rather cheaper to purchase than any other publications running in the market. Similarly, ‘dreadful’ stood for the lurid and suspenseful storylines that this publication offered. So, just to clear it out, there isn’t a ‘Penny’ in the show.

Set in the same century as the actual Penny Dreadful publication, the show is extraordinarily refreshing, considering the fact that it delves into the genre of fantasy, which is repeatedly churning out the same story lines again and again. Penny Dreadful is a psychological coaster running for about 60 minutes as it aims to keep you at the edge of your seats and at the same time satiating your appetite for science fiction and the supernatural. Not to mention, its standards to adapt from the classics. Yes, not ‘classic’ but ‘classics’ given that several adaptations like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Frankenstein, Van Helsing and even Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Grey have been successfully made into one single show.

And I must add, Penny Dreadful has an amazing cast helming the project. Eva Greens (the women with the scorpion necklace/ Vanessa Ives) and Josh Harnett (as Ethan Chandler) being the crown jewels of this loaded casket.

As they say it rightly ‘There is something within us all.’

Priyanka Kapoor

[email protected]

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QWERTY

After Khan Market, CP to offer free wi-fi!

By Sidhant Ryan Malhotra August 28, 2014

With all our gadgets being Wi-Fi enabled there’s no reason to be offline, even in a market!

In an expensive yet progressive move, the New Delhi Municipal Council is introducing Wi-Fi zones in the city’s popular hangout spots! The service is up and running in Khan Market and would be introduced in Connaught Place by the end of this month, followed by Karol Bagh market soon. This facility is completely free for the first 15-20 minutes.

In Khan Market, Airtel & Vodafone have teamed up to provide this service whereas in CP, Tata Docomo has partnered to offer Wi-Fi over 4Kms, covering both inner and outer circles. To use the facility, the visitor would be required to give his email address and mobile number, on which an OTP (One Time Password) would be received, required for successively connecting to the network. The browsing should be smooth as 4G speeds are being offered. The security being a major concern, has been effectively taken care of with Tata & Vodafone passing the “Five Layers of security”.

The first 15-20 minutes each day are free, after which the users are required to purchase a plan, either online or from various outlets offering scratch cards. The plans are very reasonable starting from Rs. 20 for 40 mins and go up to Rs. 50 for 100 minutes!

Till now free Wi-Fi was only offered in cafes and restaurants. where the complementary connections had their own flaws – poor speeds, tedious registrations and expensive premium plans (to name a few!). The ambitious project is being welcomed by the traders of these markets, who believe it would help attract more crowds. Future locations may include Dilli Haat & Sarojini Nagar as well.

So the next time you are out shopping, don’t forget to update your status!

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QWERTY

Powerfully packed and precisely priced: Redmi 1s launched@ 5,999!

By Sidhant Ryan Malhotra August 28, 2014

After the earth shattering success of its flagship Mi3, the Chinese giant Xiaomi is now ready to capture the entry-level Indian smartphone market with its latest offering – Redmi 1s. If you (still) don’t know much about the brand, Xiaomi (Shia-o-me) is the world’s 5th largest smartphone manufacturer and is hailed as “The Apple of China” for its quality, innovation and massive popularity. Its reception in India has been incredible, it goes “Out of Stock” within seconds of replenishment!

Known for providing high end specification at dirt cheap prices, Xiaomi 1s surely delivers more than expected. Packed with a QUALCOMM Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor clocked at 1.6 GHz along with 1 gigabyte of RAM. The phone features a 4.7’ IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (312 PPI), coated with Dragontrail glass for making it durable. The dual SIM device, comes with an 8MP (1080p) rear shooter and a snappy 1.6MP front camera (720p). With 8 gigs of expandable memory the phone also support USB On-The-Go (OTG) – you can run USB peripheral like pen drives, keyboards, hard drives, etc. with the help of an adaptor. The phone runs of Android 4.3 (MIUI) and is powered by a 2000mAH battery. These are the only two things that somewhat pinch as Jellybean now seems ancient and the battery is a 100mAH small, however they seem minute snags in the overall package.

If you find the specifications alluring, you’ll be blown away by the price. Initially priced at INR 6,999, Redmi 1s has been launched at INR 5,999, exclusively on Flipkart. To be honest, it actually seems under priced for the monstrous specs it offers. It not only trashes its immediate competitor Moto E (Rs. 6,999) but also outdoes the highly efficient Moto G, now priced at around 10k. The registrations have started & the flash sales will begin from 2nd September. (Do remember, only those who register can buy the phone!)

The fact that Xiaomi is now highly popular in India (courtesy Mi3), the sales are predicted to be groundbreaking! So if you are looking for a powerful phone, that doesn’t feel heavy on your pockets, Xiaomi’s latest may just be the one!

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Shri Ram College of Commerce

Cognizance and Connecting Dreams: New societies in SRCC

By Akash Pattanayak August 28, 2014

The Delhi University student experience is incomplete without the contribution of student-run college societies. The traditional skills of theatre and dramatics have always found a platform in DU and continue to thrive with a large number of active participants.

However, there seems to be a new wave of societies that are aiming to provide students with the opportunity to apply and acquire different skill sets. Two such societies have kicked off in SRCC this year- Cognizance and Connecting Dreams Foundation- SRCC Chapter.

Cognizance aims to tap into the growing share of students that wish to venture into the realm of startups. The society has adopted the idea of Conception Creation Conversion. Students more often than not face multiple challenges and aren’t adept at taking the necessary steps to pursue their idea and Cognizance aims to solve that. The activities that they plan to undertake in the coming year include BOOT (build, own, operate and transfer) camps, digital marketing workshops, case study competitions, corporate social responsibility entrepreneurship, management games and stimulation activities. Apart from this they plan to tie up with various start-ups and have seminars by young entrepreneurs.

Another society that has begun operations in SRCC is the Connecting Dreams Foundation (CDF). There exist CDF chapters in LSR and Hans Raj College that have been active for the past year and the extension to SRCC will give students the opportunity to engage in this activity. The objective is the empowerment of youth and women in rural India. The SRCC chapter has adopted the village of Samana (UP) and will be working in collaboration with the local NGO Sundesh. The process shall commence with three-month basic courses in Education, Livelihood, Healthcare, Digital Literacy and English speaking. This shall be followed up by dedicated efforts to fulfill the needs of the people through their USP-Anna Tech Tree model.

Both the societies aim to provide students with the chance to learn beyond the classroom through new and innovative methods. To get further details about the two societies you can check their respective Facebook pages.

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DU Dhaba

5 Reasons Why Social Offline is The Place To Be

By DU Beat August 28, 2014

The chances of you going to Hauz Khas village and not finding a new, flashy, easy on the eyes eating joint are slim to none. Social Offline is yet another one of Hauz Khas’ new additions. But before you write it off as yet another pretentious café, here is what makes it stand out:

The Space:

Strategically located in an endearingly filthy alley in Hauz Khas village, Social Offline has an undeniably kitschy-industrial vibe which becomes apparent as soon as you walk past its hashtag plastered bare-brick walls lined with exposed piping. Inside, the café-cum-workplace has the ambience of a buzzing countryside pub set in a rusty warehouse, accentuated by stray pulleys hanging in corners, bare lightbulbs and rustic wooden furniture all overlooking good old Huaz Khas lake. Overall, the look is undoubtedly innovative, even down to to the trademark hashtags on the toilet rolls that double as napkins.

The Food:

Keeping step with the laid back atmosphere, the menu is essentially a plethora of every imaginable kind of comfort food, all served in their signature eccentric urban style. The Mexican lamb poutine was devoured in seconds, leaving us watery eyed and satisfied, while the Biryani was wholesome, delicious and brilliantly simple. Even the Thai Thali was as delectable as it was pleasantly humble, without any of the pretentious add-ons and exorbitant prices so typical to Hauz Khas Village. If nothing else, can you really go wrong with an All-Day Breakfast Platter?

The Booze:

It’s probably safe to say that I remember only the bare minimum after the ‘Booze’ section came into the picture considering I indignantly decided that I could take on one of their ‘Longest Long Island Ice Teas’ unassisted. I was tremendously mistaken. This ‘L.L.I.I.T’, which looks essentially like a gigantic test tube, tasted like the floor of shady theka in Delhi, though in its defence, it did get me adequately hammered.

The Crowd:

A pleasant blend of overly- energetic teenagers pumping their fists to EDM and a slightly more sophisticated, but equally inebriated, hipster working crowd, Social has it just right. Another plus is that the size of the place gives you plenty of room to escape whoever it may be you want to keep a safe, no-hands-on-ass distance from.

The Concept:

Obviously keeping with the ‘Work Hard, Play Hard’ motto, Social Offline is a concept in itself. During the day, upcoming freelancers, small companies and designers who don’t have the luxury of renting their own workspace can rent a table or conference hall, helping them to meet new people and, well, Socialize. The idea is to help people stay connected without a screen in front of their faces, and Social Offline has executed it brilliantly.

Imagecredits: http://theyellowsparrow.in

-Damini Gupta

St. Stephen’s College

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Features

Team Defianz Racing from DTU Gears Up For FS India

By Shaily Sharma August 28, 2014

Team Defianz Racing, a formula student team of Delhi Technological University (DTU) , fresh from their successful return from IMechE Formula Student event at Silverstone Circuit UK, is rearing to go for the inaugural FS India at Kari Motor Speedway, Chettipalayam.

Formula Student or FSAE is the biggest engineering competition in the world at the undergraduate and graduate level with partners such as Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team, Shell and Jaguar Land Rover. In a country where engineering academic programs do not offer nearly enough practical experience to students, a student team which designs, builds, tests, and races a small-scale formula style racing car at an international competition with teams from over 38 countries, is a breath of fresh air.

After an impressive showing at the UK event, the team is looking forward to the next competition which is FS India while simultaneously planning ahead for the next UK event too.

The team presently comprises 13 students from Mechanical and Automotive Engineering disciplines, who work tirelessly, often over 10 hours a day to make the project a success. The project is funded partly by the University and the sponsors.

DR14, the car made by the team for 2014 has a Power to weight ratio of 240bhp/tonne, 4 cylinder 600cc honda cbr600f4i engine, 0-100 in less than 5.0 seconds which compares to supercars such as an Audi R8. Various adjustable suspension settings (camber, toe, steering ackermann), engine (mapping) and vehicle (brake bias, pedal carriage, etc). Stringent safety measures include front attenuator, side crash protection inbuilt to the mild-steel tubular frame, a rapid prototyped engine air intake tuned and heavily CFD tested.

Madhur, a senior member of the team says, “Most of us, in our team are crazy about automobiles, they are already in our nerves. Ours is one of the oldest teams in India and we are hoping to be among the top two or three positions in FS India.”

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Top Picks

5 places to go for karaoke in the capital!

By DU Beat August 27, 2014

Night life in Delhi/ NCR is buzzing with a plethora of clubs and lounges. One musical activity that is becoming increasingly popular is Karaoke. For those who don’t know already, Karaoke involves amateur singers singing popular songs with the tune playing in the background, and the lyrics displayed on a screen.

Sounds like something you’d want to do? Here are five karaoke places in Delhi/NCR for you to check out:

1. Harry’s Karaoke Lounge bar

Harry’s Karaoke Lounge bar is India’s first. It is a full-fledged karaoke lounge bar where the main focus is to sing one’s heart out. It has a Bollywood karaoke night where one can croon to one’s favourite Bollywood numbers, and also live performances during some of their karaoke nights. The karaoke is open every day except for Tuesday. Harry’s is frequented by youngsters. It offers great North Indian, Mediterranean and Chinese cuisine with a range of refreshing cocktails. The estimated cost for two people will range between Rs.500 to Rs.1000.

Opening Hours- 11:30am-1am.

Happy Hours- 3:30pm- 7:30pm.

Address- 306 & 307, C-Block,3rd Floor, Ansal Plaza, Khel Gaon Marg,New Delhi.

2. Rock A Fella

This place is known for its lively ambiance, good food and great rock music. It is very popular among the youth and a nice place to unwind. The food and drinks are equally good and one can enjoy everything from salads, wines, pastas etc. They have karaoke nights every Sunday which generally takes place on the first floor and attracts a great crowd. One must try their Al Pesto, Piri Piri Pizza. The estimated cost for two people would range between Rs.1000 to Rs.1500

Opening Hours-11:45am-11:45pm.

Happy Hours- 6pm-9pm.

Address: 81,Adchini, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.

3. Route 04

Route 04 is emerging as one of the favourite places amongst the students and the working crowd, mainly for its reasonable price, great ambiance and good music. Its major attractions are the karaoke night’s which takes place on Thursdays at Gurgaon and Connaught Place. This place is full of great crowd with charged up energy. Route 4 is a restro-bar serving Italian, American and Mexican cuisine. The estimated cost for two would range from Rs.1000 to Rs.1500

Opening Hours-12pm-1am.

Happy Hours-2pm-7pm.

Address- K2, Middle Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi.

Ground floor, Tower E, Cyber Greens, DLF-III, Gurgaon.

4. Raasta

Raasta is a spacious lounge, which brings out the spirit of Rastafarian culture, which has a large number of dedicated followers all over the world. The main genre of music played at Raasta is Dubstep and Reggae. They have karaoke nights every Tuesday at Hauz Khas village and every Wednesday at Cyberhub, Gurgaon. They have live music performances too. The Caribbean lounge plays tribute to artists like Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix and Jimmy Cliff etc. They serve Indian, Thai, North Indian and Mexican food. One must try their Cheese Sambousek, Non Veg Mezze Platter and Electric Ice Tea. The estimated cost for two people would range from Rs.1500 to Rs.2000

Opening Hours- 12pm-1am.

Happy Hours- 12pm-9pm.

Address- 30A, First floor, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi.

Cyber Hub, DLF-III, Gurgaon.

5. Cafe Morrison

Cafe Morrison is a place one can associate with a good, promising time. It is named after the musician Jim Morrison. The cafe is also known as the Mecca of rock music. Cafe Morrison is one of the oldest cafes in the city which offers karaoke nights every Thursdays and draws a great attendance. You get to choose from 1200 songs and the charged up atmosphere will surely bring out the singer in you. It is a great place for people who are fond of rock music and beer. You must try their cheese balls and Arabic Platter. Among the drinks their Long Island Ice Tea and Margaritas are good as well. The estimated cost for two people would range from Rs.1500 to Rs.2000

Opening Hours-12 noon-1am.

Happy Hours- 1.30pm-10pm.

Address- South Extension II, New Delhi.

Bonus

Short on cash or too shy to sing in public? Karaoke-ing is just as fun at a house party. Blast your speakers, read the lyrics off YouTube, and you’re set to have a great time!

Image source: Respective Facebook pages

Meghna Mitra

[email protected]

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QWERTY

Use your smartphone to learn a new language

By Sidhant Ryan Malhotra August 27, 2014

From helping you in business interactions to giving you a better understanding of art, culture and literature of a different part of the world, knowing a foreign language definitely gives you an edge in today’s world.

Ever wanted to learn a new language? Here are some FREE apps to help you in this quest!

50Languages

Android & iOS

As the name clearly suggests, the app helps you learn the fundamentals of 50 different languages. There are different themes like Translation tools, Games, Vocabulary & Phrases which give you a basic understanding of the language, so much so that you can clearly understand and fluently engage in small conversations.

Duolingo

Android & iOS

The most effective and popular language learning resource which has topped various lists and won many awards –Duolingo, is completely free and has a user base of over 25 million people! Duolingo right now offers only 5 – Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian.

Memrise

Android & iOS

Not exactly a coaching app, Memrise, presents another unique way of learning languages. It essentially is a quirky flashcard app, which also includes sounds, pictures & other tools. Each new word you learn is depicted as a ‘seed’ and once you complete the quizzes you help it grow into a plant!

Babbel

Windows Phone 8

Present on iOS & Android previously, Babbel is available on Windows Phone 8 devices for free. However, instead of different languages within the app, there are different editions available – Spanish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Turkish, Swedish, Dutch, Portuguese, Indonesian and English. To effectively use the application you would require a Babbel account (Free for Windows Users), which will also help you review your performance. A major highlight of the application is that it runs offline.

With these apps at your fingertips, you can learn easily a new language anytime, anywhere!

Feliz Aprendizaje (Happy Learning!)

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Spo(r)tlight

A time to ponder: Indian Cricket Team’s recent performance

By DU Beat August 27, 2014

Following the 4-0 loss in 2011, Indians again had to face humiliation at the hands of the Englishmen. This was their second successive test series defeat in England, where they lost 3-1 to the hosts. India claimed their first overseas win since 2011 when they won the second Test at Lord’s, but surrendered the final three matches meekly, the final indignity being their downfall at The Oval when they lost by an inning and 244 runs within three days. Such poor performance has triggered speculations about M.S. Dhoni’s and Duncan Fletcher’s future.

Ever since their world cup victory in 2011 India has slumped in test series on foreign soil without an exception. Duncan Fletcher’s tenure too has been like a rollercoaster ride with few important victories including the Champions Trophy and some major setbacks like the loss in the finals of the recent T20 World Cup and the overseas test series loss to Australia and New Zealand.

Such debacles have drawn heavy criticism from all corners of the cricketing world. “I must say his (Test) captaincy has been very poor of late, especially in this series. Then again, who would you replace him with? We don’t have a replacement available,” said Vengsarkar (former Chief Selector), speaking to The Indian Express.

“Not only the captain, there’s a dearth of quality Test talent at the moment, which is the real tragedy of Indian Cricket. The selectors can’t be held responsible. They didn’t have other options apart from those 18 players who were picked for England. This was the best available squad but it failed to perform.” Vengsarkar added.

Following the Test defeat BCCI has decided to act decisively to ensure some damage control for the remaining five-match one-day series against England. Ravi Shastri’s appointment as the Director of Cricket is one such temporary measure or a sign of deeper changes ahead in the Indian Cricket team management.

Other changes are that, bowling coach Joe Dawes and fielding mentor Trevor Penney have been given a break for the ODI Series, while Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun have been made assistant coaches and R. Sridhar named as fielding coach.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has also assured that the changes are for the next five matches, but as India is the defending champion for the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February next year, more “big” decisions will be needed to retain the crown.

Rishabh Sharma

[email protected]

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