Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Archive

August 2015

Browsing
QWERTY

QWERTY: SOCI’ASM, THE APP THAT MAKES YOUR PHONE LIGHTER

By

Have you ever ended up purchasing an overpriced application from the mobile store, an application which is good for nothing? It turns out to be heavy; consumes a lot of memory; space and crashes while making your cell phone practically unusable.

Social applications are really heavy and consume a lot of battery. This is where our app of the week, Soci’asm, comes into play. This application is a life saver for those who are very active socially and always run out of battery just because of heavy usage. Also, it does not put any load over the cell phone. Soci’asm is an android based application which integrates three major social platforms – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This integration is really fast and reduces the pain of downloading three different applications which ultimately saves a lot of space on the cellphone. This results in making the phone much faster. Soci’asm is easy on the battery life of the cell phone. It’s really light and updates content under different tabs with a simple thumb swipe.

The user interface of the application is also really simple and friendly. The app combines different social platforms in one window under three different tabs which are easy to access. We reviewed it by using the app on a Samsung E-7 and it worked without any crashes or lags. The app had no issues while multitasking. Soci’asm is very small in size as well (under 2 megabytes).

Final Verdict: Soci’asm is light, fast, and saves battery and memory. What else does a smartphone user need? The app is available for free on the Google Play Store and an iOS version will be rolled out soon.

Sahil Siddiqui

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Reasons to get off the couch this Summer!

By

In between the season finale of Game of Thrones and the return of Suits, a major chunk of our summer break has gone by. While we all started the break binge watching our favourite shows, some of us went ahead and started drafting a plan for our career. Some started to complete their bucket list of summer plans they made during exams. And then there are some who are still hiding behind their laptops, parked in front of their TV, doing absolutely nothing. If you belong to this category of people, jolt your bones awake! 

Here are 5 reasons to get off your beloved couch this summer!

No one likes a couch potato, not even themselves

Waking up around noon and taking a nap right afterwards seemed fun in school. In college, it’s not quite so. Summer break is a perfect opportunity for you to introspect and hone your talents or discover new possibilities altogether. It’s the time to be proactive and enthusiastic about the future without the hustle and bustle of college life. If you want to have a stalker-worthy Instagram feed, do something other than napping and watching TV.  A little of this introspection and hard work, will go a long long way.

Get a Summer Job/Internship

In between the internet bills, college tuition, lunch money and other innumerable expenses of a college student, there is hardly any money left to do anything else. Taking up a summer job or an internship could possibly bring your wallet back to life. To top it all, these internships will also add some colour to your resumes.

Hit the gym!

Use the calm time of the break to lose that “examination weight” already. Hit the gym or do some yoga, do something! Go for a walk,get together with a bicyclist group,enrol in a swimming class or join a sports team.

Here are some tips to get you started!

Travel is non-fattening and flying helps the economy

If you are fortunate enough to vacation in luxury hotels and resorts, then I might strongly dislike you, stalk your Facebook feed and wallow in jealousy almost all the time. If you ever get an opportunity to discover a new place, seize it! Start with discovering your own city, or travel a brand new place. Travelling is multidimensional, exploration is educational. It moulds your life in a way that you envision things with a clearer mind, and it helps you understand your own self better. Plus, you’ll always have a cool story to share about your adventures and escapades later on. If you wish to discover Delhi, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

Turn a new interest into a hobby

If there’s a certain thing you like to do, follow it up religiously. If you love to read as well, you could start a blog and connect with other bookworms. If you wish to volunteer with your local organizations, you can do it now without the daily interruption of college. If you love to draw, you could build up an entire portfolio of sketches ready before college! Here are some projects to help you get started.

Here’s to a more productive summer, whatever is left of that anyway. Cheers!

Image Credits: giphy.com

Surbhi Arora

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

LinkedIn: Your link to career growth

By
LinkedIn Career Growth

The dynamics of landing your dream job have changed drastically. Earlier, to land that perfect job, you were only required to show up for an interview with a printed resume. But now, even bagging that interview has become highly competitive. In an increasingly difficult job market, any edge you have over your peers, technical or otherwise, will help you distinguish yourself from the rest. Companies are always looking for employees who are willing to take an extra step, a tad bit more initiative than their peers. And in a highly advanced job market like this, a thorough research about the company and their job profile is imperative. LinkedIn provides the perfect platform encouraging its users to strategically network.

Apart from connecting a user to potential employers, LinkedIn is the leading provider of various services. From University finder to job openings, this social media platform offers a lot of services to engage its users effectively. Plus, it helps a user establish their personal brand. With innumerable advantages as these, I am surprised LinkedIn still goes unnoticed. LinkedIn is truly your link to career growth and advancement. Here’s why:

  1. LinkedIn is your online resume

    An effective LinkedIn profile is a preferred means of shortlisting candidates over going through tons of hardcopies of resumes. You can continue updating your profile as and when you acquire a new experience/skill and a potential employer can learn about it in real time. Any interview you give, chances are the companies will surf through your social media presence before delivering the final verdict. A profile on LinkedIn, if correctly edited, can help you get past those glassdoors.

  2. LinkedIn helps you connect with people with similar career trajectories

    with a plethora of career choices to choose from, a little help from an experienced professional can go a long way. With Directors, Partners and Managers of huge companies on LinkedIn, a user has a chance to directly contact the employees of a particular company. You can also constantly update your “Interests” column and meet like-minded people and exchange your view points with them. With a similar user interface as Facebook, LinkedIn is also easy to use and understand. And you can connect and network with important people easily. LinkedIn is slowly, but surely, becoming an effective platform to build mentor relations with professionals. If that’s not incentive enough to create a profile on LinkedIn, I don’t know what is.

    In addition, you can also learn of job vacancies and volunteer opportunities before most people do if you keep in touch with your network. Interested employers also contact you regarding job offers, hence increasing the multitude of job opportunities for you.

  3. You can shortlist Universities and create personal websites for free

    There’s no denying the fact that a positive social media presence not only helps increase your visibility, but it also helps you connect with your employers directly, before and after the job experience. Many people opt for jazzy, personalised websites for themselves, but chances are these might just cost a lot. LinkedIn provides its users the platform to create user-friendly, free of cost branded.me websites by converting the user’s profile into a customised website in a span of two minutes.

    As per their database, LinkedIn also helps a user to shortlist universities and colleges for further studies based on the company they want to work for and the location the user would prefer, hence helping a them make the right career choice.

  4. LinkedIn is the ultimate platform to stay connected and network with people

    Companies are always looking for employees who are self-starters and people who are motivated and enthusiastic. Exactly the kind of skills you can list in the “Skills” section of your profile. From Microsoft excel to Financial forecasting, you can list whatever experience you have and explain how you applied an existing skill in a professional environment. A user can list ‘Projects’ that they undertook in college or in a job as well. I know it seems frivolous at times, but it is essentially important to convince a potential employer of your worth. And LinkedIn is a far simpler way in order to do just that.

LinkedIn is an effective way to advance your career not only because you can connect to thought leaders, think tanks, corporates and professionals and seek professional help whenever required but also because it gives you the freedom to build your personal brand. And it helps you leverage and capitalise on this personal brand and move towards the right career path. You can aid your peers, endorse them and ask for recommendations in real time. You never know who might stumble around your profile. If you haven’t updates it in a while, you should definitely go do it. And if you don’t have a profile yet, what’s the hold up?

Image credits: www.colby.edu

Surbhi Arora

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Features

St. Stephen’s College joins hands with Teach for India for Project Vidyajyoti

By

The Social Service League (SSL), St. Stephen’s College, is all set to flag off Project Vidyajyoti- an annual initiative which involves student volunteers from the college teaching children of a basti in GTB Nagar after college hours. But this year the volunteers, prior to their interaction with the children, are being trained and moulded into great teachers at the expert hands of Teach for India Fellows.

Benoy Stephen, a volunteer with the SSL, who was instrumental in bringing Teach for India to St. Stephen’s, says, “Through Project Vidyajyoti, we hope to help a child, not just academically, but also to become a good human being. We realised we needed professional help in structuring our sessions and improving the quality of the programme. Who better than Teach for India to turn to?”

 

With a meticulously structured teaching module, the training session ensures that the volunteers are prepared. Spread over two days, the session is divided into two sections- culture and content, each for a period of two hours. The training includes everything from how to teach the children elementary Math and English to how to keep them motivated and confident. “It was a highly interactive and wholesome session,” says Nayantara, one of the volunteers who participated in the training. “We were told how to interact with the children on every level. The realisation that elements like body language and rewards are also key factors struck home.”

 

Setting down rules and compromising on some of them and ensuring that the children do not feel humiliated or excluded, were just some of the key points that Vani Valson, one of the Teach for India Fellows who conducted the training, focussed on. “Since we have hands on experience, we can give the volunteers an idea about the problems and challenges they are likely to face,” she says.

Here’s hoping that Project Vidyajyoti is a great success!

 

The Teach For India Fellowship Program is a 2 year full-time salaried commitment in which the most promising graduates and professionals are placed as full-time teachers in under-resourced and low-income schools.

 

Applications for the 2016 Fellowship Program are now open at apply.teachforindia.org. The deadline for applications is 11.59 PM, August 25th. To learn more about the Fellowship Program, go to www.teachforindia.org.

 

 

 

Abhinaya Harigovind

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Porn ban in India: Moral policing at its worst

By

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know what #PornBan is. Although the ban has been partially lifted to block sites with child pornographic content only, it is a poor attempt to cover the main motive of the Modi government.

It is common knowledge that the standard book on human sexual behaviour, the Kama Sutra, came from India, countless sculptures at the Khajuraho temples celebrate sex as a sacred deed, and depict homosexuality. It is then nothing but ironical that the only argument our MPs gave is that “pornography is against the Indian culture.” Should we ban a World Heritage site, ancient scriptures and books, shun our rationale in favour of this baseless argument?

A ban on porn is a direct attempt to control the rights of individuals. The Chief Justice of India has been quoted as saying that it is a direct violation of Article 21 of the Constitution, the Right to Life. Being an adult, one should have the right to his/her body and privacy. In today’s world, concepts such as sexual and gender fluidity are becoming acceptable, but such a stance by the Indian government reflects upon the redundant thinking they wish to impose upon all citizens. In India, where the issues domestic violence, recurrent rapes and sexual abuse still persist, imposing a ban on porn seems satirical and trivial. Instead of promoting consent, equality and unbiased thinking, this is further aggravating the taboo and shame around sex in our society.

Porn is not all good, agreed. It does show violence and child pornography in some cases, not to mention the unrealistic depiction of sexual situations, but as adults can we not differentiate right from wrong? Each individual can decide whether to support or oppose porn, we certainly don’t need our government to police even our personal space now.

Image credits: gizmodo.com

Tarushi Varma

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Reviews

Food Review: Café Why Not, Satya Niketan

By

The very first glimpse of the place offers an offbeat ambience with sheer innovation on the walls. You’re sure to notice the “Akhri Baar Kab Dekha” tagline under the WhatsApp icon, or “Petrol ki Asli Keemat” under Hill Climb Racing or “Zindagi Milegi Fir Dobara” under the Candy Crush Saga icon.

The café goes easy on the pocket (though a little scratchy when it comes to ordering exotic shakes or sandwiches). The vibrant vegetarian menu includes attractive wraps and sizzlers that won’t pass without catching your attention. While the Shanghai Chicken Firewood Pizza surpassed all levels of expectations, the Vegetarian Haystack Nachos definitely have some scope for improvement. Probably one of the richest shakes on the menu was the ‘All Time Real Chocolate Bar Shake’ which was certainly worth the long name, though the Cookie and Cream Milkshake was better.

The Firewood pizzas were prepared on a live wood fuelled stove, enhancing the taste with the smoky flavour. One of the chef’s specials was the Chicken Kanti Firewood Pizza, a dexterous amalgamation of yellow and green bell peppers with chunks of chicken festooned on the thin crust.

The café also has its own bakery where they prepare mouth-watering delights such as Mud Cake Slice and Oreo Cheesecake. The Café also plans to open its doors for gigs and photography walls for amateurs to display their art. A Karaoke Night on Tuesdays is also being planned. Along with the Italian and North Indian menu, the café is also expanding to Chinese.

While the food can see some improvement, dining at Café Why Not is a wholesome experience with the free Wifi and single pizza slice offerings!

Image credits: Aarushi Dhingra for DU Beat

Arushi Pathak [email protected]

]]>

Keep Reading
By
Hans Raj College

Hans Raj College appoints its first female Principal in history

By

Last week, Hans Raj College, University of Delhi appointed Dr. Rama as the new Acting Principal after the successful tenure of Dr. V.K. Khwatra, the outgoing Principal. It’s the first time in the 67-year history of Hans Raj College that the command of the institution has been handed over to a female.

Dr. Rama had taken over as an Assistant Professor for Hindi at the college in August 1991. She is also the first ever-appointed Principal from the Hindi Department at the college. Dr. Rama is an alumnus of Delhi University with her degree in M.A. and M. Phil. (TV Media) from the University. She also has completed her Ph.D. in Journalism and Magazine Media from here. Dr. Rama also has a Post M.A. Diploma in Translations and Linguistics. Her diploma in Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is widely recognised. She also holds a degree from Kota Open University in BJMC. Apart from various academic achievements to her credit, Dr. Rama has also written nine books out of which five pertained to the studies of mass communication and others were taken up for literature and related subjects. . Her book, ‘Women and Print Media’ received an award by India Map magazine and it also got accolades from all its readers. She was also conferred with various ‘Best Teacher’ awards during her teaching career.

Dr. Rama told DU Beat that she will work in cohesion with the faculty and students and cooperate well to take the college to new heights. The students have already begun to feel the change under her tenure with the tightening of rules.

Image Credits- Principal’s Office, Hans Raj College

Iresh Gupta
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB News

Delhi University gears up for elections

By

Amidst uproars over the exploitation of employees and claims about the government’s commercialisation project engulfing the University by Left wing Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), various teachers associations announced their candidates for the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) elections slated for the 27th of this month. DTF, in a press release has appealed to the teachers of the University by attacking red tapism.

Nandita Narain, Associate Professor of Mathematics at St. Stephen’s College and the incumbent DUTA President has been nominated by the association for the position of President again this year. For the DUTA Executive, the nominated candidates are Angad Tiwari (Department of Hindi, Sri Aurobindo College- Evening), Bhupinder Chaudhry (Department of History, Maharaja Agrasen College), Vijaya Venkataraman (Department. of GRS, Faculty of Arts, DU) and Vivek Mohan (Department of History, Delhi College of Arts and Commerce). The Congress backed Academics for Action and Development has announced Sanjay Kumar from Zakir Husain College for the position of President. The National Democratic Teachers’ Front, which is led by BJP, has nominated V S Negi (Department of Geography, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College- Evening) for the position of President. For DUTA Executive, Anil Sharma (Department of Hindi, Zakir Hussain PG College – Evening), Ashok Kumar Yadav (Department of Commerce, Shyam Lal College- Evening), Shambhu Nath Dubey ( Department of Political Science, ARSD College) and Sunil Kumar (Department of Political Science, Dyal Singh College) have been nominated.

In another development, the varsity declared that the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections will be held on September 11.The elections will decide the office bearers in the union and the central council and will be closely watched by major national political parties. The last date to file nomination is September 2 and the date for withdrawal is September 4. This year will also witness the debut of the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS).

The varsity on July 28 also announced the names of officials responsible for the fair conduct of DUSU elections. “The Vice Chancellor has appointed DS Rawat of Department of Chemistry as the Chief Election Officer, Satish Kumar, OSD (Examinations) as Chief Returning Officer and Anju Gupta, Director of Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board as the Returning Officer for the conduct of 2015-16 elections,” said an official statement.

Sidharth Yadav

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Features

Chehel – an LSR’s graduate’s initiative for education

By

“If a child doesn’t understand the way we teach, perhaps we should teach them the way they learn.”

This clearly emphasises on our need to focus on child education through which every student is nurtured. Hence, we need to pull our attention to the need of the hour which is concentrating on educating the children who aren’t economically and socially in an advantageous situation.

It is from this notion that the concept of Chehel, an NGO which was started with an initiative of providing quality education to the children who cannot access such resources, germinated. Along with quality education, Chehel aims to provide overall development to the students through teaching. Since its inception in 2010 to the present, Chehel has seen many upheavals which have only strengthened its roots in providing the best to children and working more passionately towards the society.

Chehel is proudly imparting education to over sixty students presently and with the amount of hardwork and passion shown by both volunteers and the students, they aim to touch greater heights in coming days. Chehel believes, “If you don’t stand for child education, you don’t stand for much.” Enriching children with constructive knowledge, artistic skills and morals lays the first stone towards breaking the cycle of poverty and helping the children from the less-privileged section to lead empowered lives.

The initiative to bring the change was taken by Vrinda Loiwal, an LSR graduate, in 2010. Seeing children begging on streets left her feeling helpless and agitated.

She started teaching with 3 kids which gradually increased to 60 by May 2015. She was assisted by her juniors and friends, and after she graduated and moved out of Delhi, Chehel was sustained by her juniors. Year after year, senior Chehel volunteers graduate and their vacancies are filled by new faces.

Just like the word suggests, Chehel stands for movement, change and vibrancy. With such a noble endeavour, we wish Chehel all the very best!

Ishita Sharma

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

A scantily clad lad walks into a bar…

By

How do you think that story ends? What does a scantily clad man even look like? Would the story have ended differently if the person in question was a girl? What does gender have to do with this at all?

How we cover our bodies has been defined by ages of social conditioning- years of dictated conformation to “fashion,” years of being told to “cover our modesty”- clothing has gone from protecting the human body to enslaving it in subtle yet disastrous ways for both sexes. Historically, culturally enforced clothing items like corsets and lotus shoes were seen as being beautiful, but resulted in lifetimes of bone crushing disabilities- all for the sake of dressing according to the norms that prevailed. Today, the widespread norms are heavier on the mind than on the body.

The scantily clad woman in the aforementioned case will probably be shamed and have her morals questioned, the man will eventually become the butt of all homosexual jokes, after being given disgusted puzzled looks and having his gender identity ridiculed.

We call ourselves a generation of liberals, but how liberal are we really? While we may consider the right of a woman to wear a top that shows her bra straps to be ‘empowerment,’ we scorn at a man wearing his jeans too low or his shorts too tight. The point isn’t to contest which gender has it worse- the point is to accept that in some way or the other, we’ve all given in to what we’ve been told is normal and acceptable.

Even in colleges, the cornerstones of developing young mindsets, dress codes prevail and often perpetuate the very ideologies we claim to stand against today. From barring boys from wearing shorts and capris in SGTB Khalsa College to telling girls off for wearing off- shouldered tops in Bhaskaracharya College for Applied Sciences, these regulations still insist our compliance with certain clothing ethics defines our morality and qualifies us as civil members of the society, instead of our conduct and how we treat our fellow beings.

Like in all other aspects of life, change in this attitude begins with you. The next time you see a scantily clad lad walk into a bar, tell him he’s rocking that outfit!

Featured Image credits: Huffingtonpost.ca

Vani Vivek

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By