November 2014

Study Overseas Global Education Fair Feb 4, 2016

By DU Beat November 6, 2014

With an increasing number of students looking at pursuing further studies from universities abroad, it is important to do thorough research and collect all necessary information before beginning the application process. Study Overseas Global, one of the largest education consultancies in India represents over 200 education institutions globally. It offers free counseling to students aspiring to study in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Dubai, Ireland and Malaysia.

To further guide students wishing to study abroad, Study Overseas Global will be organising an education fair on, February 4, 2016 between 11 AM-6 PM at Eros Hotel, Nehru Place, New Delhi. The fair aims at helping students explore options for higher studies abroad and interact with delegates from world class institutions for admissions to top international universities. The delegates will provide ample information regarding scholarships, career possibilities, applications and so on. Interested students should carry photocopies of their education for spot admissions. The entry to the fair is free, and students may register in advance for their convenience.

The education fair is sure to be a good platform for students hoping to gain more insight into admissions and career options at universities abroad, along with interaction with delegates from numerous colleges. For more details about the education fair please visit the website.

To register call 011 40798700, 8826252424 OR visit the registration link OR SMS your name to 9910209042 to register

Keep Reading

Campus Central

BITS Pilani witnesses grand participation by Delhi University at Oasis'14

By Shaily Sharma November 6, 2014

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani Campus organized its annual cultural festival, OASIS’14 from 31st October 2014-4th November 2014. With the theme ’90’s show’, Oasis attracted a participation from over 70 colleges with around 5000 students on campus for different competitions.

The quiet campus of BITS Pilani transformed into a carnival for those 96 hours. Apart from the Prof. Shows featuring Benny Dayal, Raghu Dixit, East India Comedy, Mysore Brothers and Sunburn night, here are all the competitive events that took place in the campus.

Oasis Inaugural Ceremony

[caption id="attachment_27394" align="alignleft" width="290"]

Sriram Raghavan addressing the crowd at inaugural ceremony | Image Credits: Kashish Madan[/caption]

The inaugural ceremony took place on Friday, 31^st October with Mr. Sriram Raghavan as the Chief Guest. He addressed the audience talking of the evolving culture of cinema. He also acknowledged the efficiency with which the cultural fest was organized, following which he declared OASIS 2014 open.

The Mime Club of BITS, Pilani, then performed two acts and the spoof video – ‘Schlumdog Millionare’, followed by a fashion parade displaying Oasis apparel. The Department of Stage Controls revealed the unholy trinity of 90s games, a PokeBall, Mario and a Tetris console.

The ceremony came to an end with the western, folk and semi- western performances by the Dance Club.

Music: Band performances, voacalist performances and instrumentals

Organised by ARBITS, Roctaves Elims took place on Saturday, 1^st November while the finals on the 2^nd of November. ‘Nice Weather for Ducks’ headlined the event by their performance on 1st November. On the competition front, a total of nine bands including The Chronic Legion from New Delhi, Confuzone from Darjeeling, Cynic Bliss from Jabalpur, Pyramids, Poltergeist, Wire Weed, Stained and WitchKraft from all over the country contested for the preliminary round, which was judged by Chris Avinash and Shreyas Kendurkar, a BITS alumnus and Guitarist. The judges for the finals were Chris Avinash and Rahul Gopal, a Chennai based Percussionist.

[caption id="attachment_27393" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Rocktaves Finals at Oasis, BITS Pilani | Image Credits – Chirag Sharma[/caption]

Among other musical competitions were Tarang, the instrumental event held on the 1^st November, Andholika, the vocal competition organized by Music Club, Pitch Perfect, the Capella event and Swaranjali, an instrumental competition with Mysore Brothers as the judges.

Dance: Western, Choreo, Street and Tandav

Razzmatazz

Organized by the dance Club, Razzmatazz Finals were held on 2^nd of November with seven teams performing. The event consisted of three rounds. The second round was the Props Round and the last round was Footloose.

Street Dance

After the Raghu Dixit Project, The Prof Show for the day, Street Dance Finals took place on the 2^nd of November at Rotunda. The event was split into two rounds being Choreo and Face-Off with a total of six teams up on stage.

Choreo

Choreo, a theme based dance competition had its finals on the 3^rd of November. The event started off with a professional performance by Soum Singh and Shika Gussain, the Director and Co-Director of Eloquence Dance Academy. Five finalists, Gargi College, Hansraj College, BITS, Pilani, Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Shri Ram College of Commerce were shortlisted out of eight teams.

[caption id="attachment_27392" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Gargi College, Delhi University performing their Choreo act at Oasis, BITS Pilani | Image Credits – Kashish Madan[/caption]

Other dance competitions were Desert Duel, a solo dance competition, Tandav, a classical dance competition, Clash of the Lions, debut event, Bhangra and Midnight Prom.

Drama: Nukkad, Stage, Mime and Film Making

Street play:

Organised by the Department of Theatre (DoT), the Street Play competition was held on the morning of 3^rd November with ten teams competing. Each play carried a social message along. The first performance was by Indira Gandhi Technical University for Women followed by students of Pearl Academy.

[caption id="attachment_27396" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce performing Nukkad Natak | Image Credits – Kashish Madan[/caption]

Stage Play:

A minor incident surrounded the stage play event as the first team, Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce refused to perform due to a mixture of reasons related to the audience behaviour and infrastructural issues. “We backed out because we felt that our art was not respected. Our team won both stage and street last year. We worked for days and nights to make this production, it really very painful for us to leave the stage in that manner. We love BITS Pilani and Oasis, and this was first experience of its kind. We have great respect for the fest and look forward to next year’s edition”, said Team Manchatantra from SGGS. Unfortunately with the midnight slot, stage play witnessed performances by few teams with Sri Ram College of Commerce’s play getting the maximum appreciation.

Mime

Mime, the mimicry competition took place on the 2^nd of November with a total of 7 teams competing. The judge for the event was Niranjan Goswamy, Padma Shree awardee. The first team to perform was BKBIET and the competition came to and with the performance of PGDAV College (Eve).

Apt to Act, an on the spot acting competition and Metamorphosis, the film-screening competition organized on the 2^nd of November were among the other events in this category.

Fash P: Fashion Show and Miss India Contest

The preliminary event took place on the 2^nd of November in SAC Hall and the final event on the 4^th November with five teams including NIFT Delhi, Trinity and Amity School of Communications performing. The judges for the event were Rati and Vishal and Neil. The Fashion Parade was followed by a Femina Miss India Beauty Pageant with seven girls competing. The judge for this event was Ms. Gurleen Grewal, Miss Diva International 2013.

[caption id="attachment_27397" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Contestants for Femina Miss India Audition round | Image Credits – Kashish Madan[/caption]

Miscellaneous

The Oasis Debate, one of the largest debate competitions in the country was organized on the 1^st of November. Blab, a jamming event, Kshanika, the Hindi Jamming event and Mock Parliament, the Hindi debate in parliamentary form were some other competitions to look forward to. Banana Man Show, a show by Pierrick St-Pierre, popularly known as Mr. Banana Man, a street performer was one show that attracted more than a fair crowd.

‘With inputs from Oasis English Press’

Update: The previous version of the article has been updated to include a quote from Team Manchatantra, SGGS.]]>

Keep Reading

Shri Ram College of Commerce

Finance goes online with SRCC’s FINERGY

By Akash Pattanayak November 5, 2014

The Finance and Investment Cell of the Shri Ram College of Commerce provided students with a forum to participate in challenging tasks in the field. FINERGY comprised of a series of online competitions that tested participants in multiple ways and also gave them the chance to win great prizes.

The month of October kicked off with the first event of FINERGY – Truth and Dare. This competition involved teams of 2 that competed through multiple rounds. The final round required teams to send their videos on four movie scenarios with a financial twist. The movies were Swades, Robot, The Wolf of Wall Street and Dhoom 3. The six finalists were – Maverick_St. Xavier’s College, District13_SRCC, Illuminati_SRCC, Bankrupt Engineers, NSIT, Analytiks, SXC, Miracle Workers_SRCC.

The second event was Exquizite’14 which was an online quiz that was extremely closely contested and exposed teams to a series of exhilarating competitions. Aneesh Sharma from DDUC stood first followed by Yash Nyati from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and Govinda Bhagada from IIM Indore who were 2^nd and 3^rd respectively

The final event of FINERGY was Serial Stocker with prizes worth Rs. 15000 at stake. Serial Stocker was an online trading event. Rakesh Verma from Hans Raj College bagged the first position with the highest portfolio value.

“Finergy, has been put together and produced by a literally self motivated and enduring team. It was a true pleasure incorporating all innovative ideas systematically, to keep participants busy for a month! It was exceedingly bewildering to have witnessed the participation from across India in such exceptional numbers. We look forward to put up more such successful events in the future, as the opportunity, I believe to be provided and grasped is unlimited! Nothing beats drooling over a marvellous working culture within the team”, said Prekshita Patwa President, SRCC FIC.

Students interested in keeping themselves updated about upcoming FIC events along with reading blog posts and articles on related topics can follow www.ficsrcc.wordpress.com.

Image credits: SRCC FIC

Keep Reading

Interviews

Interview with Motilal Nehru College’s President Divya Munjal

By Ishaan Sengupta November 5, 2014

Divya Munjal is a 3rd Year Bsc Physics Honours student from Motilal Nehru College. She has been elected as the College Student’s Union President for the session – 2014-2015. She feels that the college union has an extremely important role to play when it comes to addressing the issues of the students.

Here are some bits of our conversation with her:

1. How do you think you can improve your college?

Being the president of the college, I will work for the interest of students putting their problems and suggestions in front of the authorities. It will be my first priority and I will give my 100% to improve our college in every aspect.

2. In?which fields do you think your college needs improvement in?

Basic maintenance facilities, girls security, funding process, weak placements are some major problems. Also another issue is of unhygienic food served in the canteen which is in dire need of renovation
3. What was your reaction when you came to know that you were to be the President of the college?

It was quiet overwhelming and the first thought that came to my mind was that this is a great opportunity where I can do something very good for my college and my fellow mates.

4. Why do you think you were chosen?
Electing me as a president was just the faith of the students in me that I would be standing by their side whenever they have any problem. Moreover they might have thought that I was capable of representing them outside as well.

5. Why were you interested in student politics?
I have been in this prestigious institution for 2 years. There were things that I thought can be improved in college and there would have been no better opportunity than being the president and working upon it.

Keep Reading

Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies to get a new campus

By Sidhant R. Seth November 5, 2014

The day is not too far when Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies shall boast of a new campus. Reports have stated that CBS would be shifting to a new location. Recently, the foundation stone had been laid. Currently, CBS is situated in Jhilmil Colony (Vivek Vihar) in East Delhi and the proposed campus is in Rohini in North-West Delhi. The distance via metro between the current campus and the proposed is approximately 35 minutes.

Sources have even suggested that there may be a hostel facility in the new campus; this might encourage more outstation station students to apply to the college. It is believed that the hostel may have 130 rooms.

On the other side, Raghav Chopra, a student of CBS has a different viewpoint regarding the shifting of the campus. He says, “First, as the Foundation stone has been laid quite recently, it should take a few years before CBS boasts about a new campus.” When asked about the expectations and any changes that the future CBS aspirants may face; he added, “Students at CBS are accustomed to a smaller campus. Due to this fact we know how to work with limited resources and yet bring out extraordinary results. Unfortunately, the future batch may not be able to experience this situation”.

Keep Reading

Sex Amma

Sex Amma: Confused About Sexuality

By DU Beat November 4, 2014

Amma, I don’t have a boyfriend and have never had a boyfriend. I am actually confused about my sexuality. I have had sex dreams about all my guy friends and even a few women. What does all of this mean?

Little idli, look at you sounding so troubled! It is very common to feel confused about one’s sexuality at this age- all ages, actually. Amma herself has tried the delectable dosas and the mysterious lotus flower too (sometimes together!) and came to the conclusion that she likes both! A lot!

Coming to your dreams, they are probably a subconscious manifestation of your dry spell! I would advise you not to read into them too much for dreams can be misleading! Sometimes, some people look attractive only in dreams and not in real life! So, you may or may not be attracted to women and your guy friends, perhaps you just need some action in real life! Take a dip in these waters and see how you like it. This is your age for exploration- do what (or who) makes you happy and don’t get too hassled by labels, macchi.

Keep Reading

Events

India’s first pet convention organised at Dilli Haat

By Ishaan Sengupta November 3, 2014

India witnessed its first Pet Convention on 1^st of November 2014, at Delhi Haat, INA Market. Being a huge pet lover myself, I found myself enjoying one of the best days of my life. After entering the main market, I could only see dogs of varying breeds everywhere.

Here is what was in store for pet lovers at Pet Fed:

Pet Walk – This event started around 5 o clock, and was analogous to what humans would call a Mr. /Mrs. India event. The event was judged by Mrs Ambika Shukla, Founder of People for Animals and a former Miss India winner. The majority of contestants were Labradors, Pugs and Bull dogs. There was a Labrador who wore a pink fairy outfit, a pug who wore a lungi and another pug who wore a bee outfit!

Pupcakes – This event demanded cooks to make homemade cupcakes which were edible by both humans and dogs. Although they were not for free, they were tasty and delicious. The sheer artistry on the cupcakes had the capability to make you and your dog salivate.

Puppy Therapy – Analogous to a petting zoo concept, Puppy Therapy invited dog lovers into a big room, full of desi breed puppies. Here you could caress these gentle puppies and even adopt them. All the puppies were provided by Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Noida.

Puppy Adoption – Many stalls in the event location were putting up puppies for adoption. People for Animals and few other stalls put up both breed and street dogs for adoption. Some of the puppies outside in the stalls were from Indian Canine Upliftment Centre.

Free Grooming services – Free grooming services were being provided on pre – registration. The dogs were being groomed by expert groomers.

Engaging activities – There were other engaging activities organised by graffiti artists and painters who drew dog related paintings and illustrations. Enactus Motilal Nehru College enacted their street play – “Kutta desi ya videsi” with the message of adopting Indian (desi breeds) rather than buying expensive foreign breeds. They also organised sponge games to engage the crowd.

Union Minister Shrimati Maneka Gandhi also visited the event and gave suggestions to each and every stall about how they could improve their functioning. Overall the event was paradise for pet lovers.

Ishaan Sengupta

[email protected]

With inputs from Ishani Rajkhowa

[email protected]

Image courtesy: Pet Fed

Keep Reading

Kamala Nehru College

Lakshya, the KNC Theatre Society enacts Euripides’ Trojan Women

By DU Beat November 3, 2014

“Whose slave shall I be? And whose I?” The glass of silence was broken by the shrill resonance of these words. Kamala Nehru College’s full-house auditorium was left enraptured by the flawless performances by the actors of its Theatre Society, Lakshya. Two months of hard work bore fruit when the play was greeted with a unanimous standing ovation at its end.

Euripides’ Trojan Women, directed by Mr. Feisal Alkazi cast a light on the life of the women of the empire of Troy.

A Greek tragedy, the play was scripted in 415 B.C.E. and largely highlighted the life of the women of Troy after the war- how they were left to be ‘chosen’ by the men of Greece.

Women there were enslaved twice- once with the patriarchal mindsets and attitudes that largely dominated the society of those times and the second time after the war, after the death and slaughter of their husbands and children- they being left to be enslaved by the men of other empires.

The role of the protagonist, Hecuba, the queen of Troy was impeccably enacted by Ayushi Bhatnagar, a member of Lakshya. Articulate and expressive, the pain in her expressions voiced out the utter remorse and despair of the women of those times. Her husband and sons being killed in the war, seeing her daughter succumb to behavioral instabilities and losing her only grandson to the will of the Greeks.

Hecuba is shown as a woman who keeps clinging to false hopes of seeing her empire Troy one last time before devastation engulfs it.

The immaculate acting left the audience awestruck, with adrenaline gushing through their veins. Supporting actors from DCAC, KMC and Lakshya played their parts to utmost perfection. From “Tears are sweet in bitter grief” to “Country lost and children and husband”, the dialogues moved all souls in the sway of emotions. The play was a roaring success, with everything- from costumes to sets, was unquestionably nonpareil.

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

Keep Reading

Lady Shri Ram College for Women

Dr. Masum Momaya gives a talk on Indian Women in America at LSR

By DU Beat November 3, 2014

The Women Development Cell of Lady Shri Ram College for Women(LSR) organized an interactive session with Dr. Masum Momaya, a museum curator at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. on 28th October in the Upper Seminar Room. The topic of discussion was,” Indian Women in America through the Eyes of Artists”.

Her session started with a small presentation on how Indians are perceived in America. She carefully emphasised that there are many things for which India is known for in America, be it in the field of art, culture or anything else. She then led the discussion to the core of the talk which was Indian artists in America. She critically emphasised on the various aspects which the Indian artists touched upon, ranging from materiality to cultural elements to Indian spices and many more. She showed great works of different artists who showcased a different face of India through their art. Some of them being Annu P. Matthew whose art work depicted race and identity, Sejal Patel who brought out the issue of gender and sexuality.

The entire session was an engaging one where the audience asked meaningful questions.

A rather interesting question was on what happens to the identity of Indians once they start staying abroad. Do they blend in or retain their identity or furthermore, do they adopt the culture of that particular country.

Momaya answered this question with a gleaming hope for the future saying, “The identity of America has itself changed. Diwali is celebrated in U.S colleges by everyone, be it Indians or Americans.” She also said that the factors on which the identity issue depends is geography, generation and many other such factors.

She made the audience think in a very different perspective and the well-organised event was a hit overall. Mugdha, a student of History department and one of the audience members, said,” The entire talk was very enlightening and the different parameter on which India is perceived abroad has changed with time, which is very encouraging.”

Ishita Sharma

[email protected]

Picture Credits: Jhanvi Tripathi

Keep Reading

QWERTY

Review : Angry Birds Transformer – Drastically Different yet Immensely Intriguing!

By Sidhant Ryan Malhotra November 3, 2014

Arguably the most renowned game on handheld devices- the Angry Birds, is back! This time, they have teamed up with your favorite convertible robots – the Transformers (Angry Birds + AutoBots = Angry Bots?!) With each addition, Rovio has added a new flavor to the game, yet has always managed to retain the simplicity & familiarity in the gameplay. Angry Birds: Transformers, however seems to be an attempt of renovating the whole franchise – it’s not the same game! Does Rovio succeed in its effort?

The only thing familiar about this new version is the title (Angry Birds), apart from that it has been revamped in its entirety. The slingshot pull-release gaming style of throwing birds on complex structures to kill the evil pigs in minimum attempts has been completely reconstructed.

The birds and the pigs have now transformed into shape changing robots – Autobots and Decepticons respectively.

The gameplay now involves your character continuously running sideways across the screen, while shooting at pigs & other objects in his way. You need to tap on screen to guide the direction of his shot. The better your aim, more points you win at the end of each run. There are multiple characters including Optimus Prime & Bumblebee, each with his unique weapon, vehicle and target lock. . The pigs are (again) in various structures and you can shoot strategically, causing maximum damage in minimum shots. The cutscenes are funny and along with comic strips, now have videos.

The characters upgrade as you progress further and gain new powers & capabilities. The first upgrade lets you transform into vehicles and that where the game get more fun. Being a free game, it also features paid upgrades, time restrictions, video advertising and other freemium features, all of which are available through optional in-app purchases. The game now features superior graphics, infact, they are too good for an Angry Birds Game. The minimalistic feel of the game is gone and this can be a little counterproductive.

The game is now heavier at around 100MB ,Angry Birds: Space was under 50MB

Angry Birds: Transformers isn’t like any of its predecessors. It could have easily been a different franchise. However, the game though different, is still addictive. Unusual in the beginning it slowly grows on you and once you get comfortable with this new reality of Angry Birds, you would love it. The game may not appeal to everyone, especially the conservatives, as the sling based game has been transformed into an auto-running shooter.