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November 2014

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Ramjas College

Ramjas College’s Political Science department organises trip to Rashtrapati Bhavan

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Past the DRDO office and following the ‘Kings path’, brings us to the sprawling 320 acre square of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the second largest residence of a head of state in the world after the Quirinal Palace in Rome. The Political Science department of Ramjas College had planned a trip to the Rashtrapati Bhawan on the 31st of October.

After leaving our phones and cameras in the bus, we were allowed through the first security check.  Getting through security one has to climb up a tall winding staircase which leads to the forecourt.

At the entrance there are 31 steps to the portico with 20 columns and an exquisitely carved 2300 year old sculpture of the Ashokan bull.

For visitors, a side entrance leads to the reception room where the guards took a panoramic sweep of the group with the camera. An eye catching 3d painting hugged the wall beneath a huge ornamental chandelier. A door and past another check we were lead to the visitor’s corridor. One side of the corridor led to a room where they had gaming machines for quizzes, future models of public projects and scale models of our country’s Agni and Brahmos missiles. From there we were led to the Marble Hall which is called so because of the iconic slab of marble in the centre of the room.

The museum, where we were taken next saw an interesting display of utensils, cutlery and glassware used long ago with an authentic model dining table set behind glass. And at last we were led to the most beautiful part of the entire tour, the elegant Mughal Gardens located on the Western side of the Presidential estate.

The Presidential gardens like the building presents a classic intermix of Mughal and British styles spread over 13 acres.

The Mughal style canals, fountains and flowering shrubs at different ground levels amidst Western style lawns and flower beds are a sight to be seen. When the Gardens are open to the public in the month of February, it’s a treat for the eyes.

The Estate in all is spread over an area of 354 acres with nine tennis courts, a polo ground, a 14-hole golf course and a cricket field. From the time it was known as the Vice-regal Lodge it stands to this day, as a strong symbol of India’s democratic might.  All in all, the trip was an awe-inspiring one for the students and was well organized by the department faculty members.

Arindam Goswami

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Uncategorized

No respite in sight for DU B.Tech students

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Although, it has been quite some time since the University of Delhi has scrapped the controversial FYUP, the B. Tech scenario regarding the validity of their degree yet remains contentious. According to a few sources, DU has not got a green signal from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) without which, no B. Tech DU degree holder will be an approved engineer/technologist even if he/she may have completed the Four Year Course with outstanding results.

While a few students student pursuing the course are optimistic that DU will get the approval from AICTE, the confusion still prevails wherein most of the students are not sure whether they would receive the approval or prove to be the evergreen “lab rat” batch. Sources suggest that according to UGC, the respective colleges should take AICTE approval for their remaining B. Tech courses (electronics, computer science, food technology, instrumentation electronics and polymer science).

It is even said that it’s not DU’s responsibility to take AICTE approval, because DU can be affiliated to a college, but the degrees/programs in various colleges need to be recognized from respective regulatory bodies, which in this case is AICTE, is a duty of the college and not the University.

 

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QWERTY

QWERTY Tips: Manage your computer from a smartphone!

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As more & more devices are finding their way into our lives, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to manage them all! But wouldn’t it be convenient, if we could manage our computer right from our phone or tablet?

Traditionally, using remote desktop used to be a bit cumbersome – configuring both computers, enabling sharing, entering IP addresses, etc. But nowadays, many programs offer this convenience in simple ways. One such software is TeamViewer. This extremely popular and simple program comes in two versions – Free & Paid. The only major limitation in using the free version is a 10 minute time restriction after which you’ll have to reconnect. This shouldn’t be a bother as reconnecting can be done instantly (and 10 minutes are good enough!).

The beauty of TeamViewer, however, lies in its cross-platform compatibility. It works on everything – Windows, Mac and even Linux. Not just this, Team Viewer allows you to control your computer from all leading smartphone platforms as well! This includes Android, iOS & Windows Phone 8. Now there are many apps that will allow you similar functionality, but Team Viewer beats them all in streaming quality and ease of use. It also allows you to access all apps and documents present on the host computer.

To begin with, simply download TeamViewer on your computer. Do a ‘Basic Installation’ and select ‘Personal / Non-Commercial Use’, if you intend to use the Free version. Once completed, your TeamViewer ID & Password shall be available on the screen. Next, install TeamViewer on your smartphone and enter your ID in the ‘Partner ID’ field. That’s it! Now you can connect to your PC anytime anywhere! For better management, I suggest you make a free Team Viewer account.

Now you literally have a computer in your palm! You can view, share & edit files right from your phone. Happy TeamViewing!

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Indraprastha College for Women

IPCW organises 2nd Freshers’ Parliamentary Debate Tournament

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In a three day event held on 24th, 26th and 27th of October, IP College’s English debating society ‘Samvaad’ successfully organised its second Freshers’ Parliamenatry Debate Tournament. Involving participation from almost all of DU, the event began with 40 teams and 60 adjudicators for the debating rounds.

The teams got the expert judgement of a very prolific and respected adjudicators’ core, consisting of Vardhan Arora (former KMC student), Rijul Kataria (former Hindu student) and Vibhor Mathur (Hindu College student). The 3 on 3 Asian Parliamentary Debating style was followed throughout the event. Beginning with 5 preliminary rounds and some break rounds, 8 teams proceeded to the next round. The teams were exposed to interesting motions based on various randomly selected themes of politics, sports, education and so on.

The finale saw Ramjas College and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies fighting it out for the coveted title on the motion “This house believes that the LGBT community should form a political party”. Shaheed Sukhdev College proudly took home the winners award. The best adjudicator award was given to Shaurya from Kirori Mal College, while the second best was a tie between Srishti Vasudeva also from Kirori Mal College and Anandeshwari of IP College.

The event proved to be a good learning experience for all students and set the tone for upcoming debates in the next season.

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Flicks

Movie Review: Gone Girl

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Disclaimer: This post contains spoilers from the movie Gone Girl!

“This man of mine may truly kill me.”

Gone Girl is a chilling story of a married couple, Amy and Nick, from Missouri. Amy Elliot Dunne was happy in a five year long marriage with Nick Dunne, but he wanted an exit from it. The day he was going to tell this to his wife, she disappeared. What followed was Nick being suspected for the murder of his wife. A vicious circle of lies and proof deepened his already difficult life in Missouri, into that of constant upheavals and disturbances. He was constantly dictated around Amy’s directions from the Anniversary Special Treasure Hunt, even in her absence.

Now, he was sinful with infidelity, and he was an ignorant husband. But, Amy was not the damsel in distress after all. She wasn’t ‘missing’, she was in hiding; hiding to see her husband get penalized with death for the murder of his wife. A carefully planned project by a very clever sociopath-psychologist, Amy Dunne planned her own assault and ran away, waiting to kill herself carefully, so that her corpse be found at the correct time. But, she couldn’t do it, and that is when she involved Desi Collings, her since-high school-smitten-ex. Soon however, she found Nick begging her to come back on national television to put an end to all this. This is when she decides to frame Desi. She first assaulted herself and then slit the unsuspecting Desi’s throat and ran away as a fleeing victim, back to her husband. What’s more she used IVF to keep her husband in the marriage. This dramatic turn of events comes as a startling surprise to the audience.

Coming to the actors, Ben Affleck, contrary to what critics say, has proved again that he is a brilliant actor. Neil Patrick Harris does a spectacular job as Desi Collings, what with his eyes doing the talking! Tyler Perry as the lawyer, Tanner Bolt and Carrie Coon as Margo Dunne, Nick’s twin, were great too. But, I give all my congratulations and applause to Rosamund Pike, who, as Amy Elliot Dunne, was  shocking and impressive, and she pulled it off above my expectations.

The book of the same name, by Gillian Flynn is a must-read! But I’d recommend reading the book before watching the movie. It will scare the brains out of you, and is a skillfully crafted masterpiece. As for the movie, it complements the book as an apt adaptation. Watch it and you will be amazed!

Image source: msmagazine.com

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